BJP on Sunday criticised Congress chief spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh for apparently “live-tweeting” some of the issues raised by different parties at an all-party meeting, and said the Opposition party should consider sending a “more seasoned hand” next time.
Ramesh, who attended the meeting, posted on social media while the deliberations were going on, “In today's all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the JD(U) leader demanded special category status for Bihar. The YSRCP leader demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Strangely, the TDP leader kept quiet on the matter.”
BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said there is a certain propriety and protocol one associates with these all-party meetings. “There is free and frank exchange of ideas followed by media briefing. But a look at Jairam Ramesh's timeline and it appears he was live tweeting the proceedings. Next time, the Congress should consider sending a more seasoned hand for these meetings,” Malviya said.
Ramesh's post had a political angle as he highlighted the demands of the two regional parties JD(U) is a BJP ally as well which is a tricky issue for the central government. Officials have argued that Finance Commission's recommendation accepted by the government preclude such a possibility.
The Congress leader also took a dig at the TDP, another BJP ally.
In another post in between the meeting, Ramesh said, “How the political climate has changed! In the all-party meeting of floor leaders the BJD leader reminded the Defence Minister and BJP President JP Nadda that the BJP's manifesto for the 2014 assembly elections in Odisha had promised special category status to the state.”
Ramesh also posted that there was a universal demand that the Central Hall should once again be opened up for MPs to mingle with each other and improve communications across the parties.
“The historic Central Hall has sadly fallen into disuse after the opening of the new building of Parliament,” Ramesh said.
On its part Congress asserted that issues such as the NEET 'scam', Uttar Pradesh government's order to eateries and internal security situation in Jammu and Manipur, be taken up for discussion during the Budget session of Parliament.
According to Ramesh, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi asserted that challenges on the borders with China and environmental concerns arising out of floods and natural disasters, deforestation and pollution, be discussed during the session.
Congress also raised the issues relating to Centre-state relations and the economy, which it stated must be debated upon.
