Nitish Kumar tasks Sanjay Jha to take JD (U) national

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JD (U) national executive seeks special status for Bihar

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, June 29: In a significant move, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has elevated the Rajya Sabha MP of the Janata Dal (United) Sanjay Jha as the working president of the party. The JD (U) in its executive committee meeting in the national capital also put forth the demand for special category for Bihar, as well as schedule 9 protection for 65 per cent reservation in the state.

The elevation of Jha is being seen significant within the JD (U). Jha is a close aide of the Bihar chief minister. He honed his initial skills in politics in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The JD (U) is eyeing national footprints with Jha as the effective political head of the party. The JD (U) will be seeking to piggyback ride the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to gain political space outside Bihar.

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“The JD (U) will negotiate honourable seat adjustments with the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Haryana. Jha will hold talks with the BJP,” said a senior JD (U) functionary.

The JD (U) leaders asserted that the party will seek seat adjustments with the BJP in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the North eastern states. “The JD (U) had in the past a formidable presence in Jharkhand and some of the Northeastern states. Jha has the task on hand to first regain those lost footprints, and make expansion in new regions in tie up with the BJP,” added the JD (U) functionary.

Within a month of the formation of a coalition government at the Centre headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the JD (U) on Saturday officially put forth the demand for the special category status for Bihar. The BJP ally in Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is also pressing for the special category status for the state.

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The JD (U) national executive passed a resolution demanding special category status for Bihar. The meeting was chaired by the Bihar chief minister.

The resolution asserted that the demand for special status is quite old, and it should be given for the social and economic development of the state. “In the current situation, the state should get special state status or special package,” added the resolution.

A delegation of the JD (U) will soon be meeting Modi to hand over a memorandum to press for the demands adopted in the resolution in the national executive meeting.

The resolution underlined that the NITI Aayog mandated criteria for the inclusion in the special category status cannot be fulfilled by Bihar. The JD (U) leaders said that the Centre should either give the status or a special financial package to Bihar.

The JD (U) will once more be pressing for caste census. With key demands, the JD (U) is now warming up for the Assembly polls in Bihar next year.

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