New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United), a key partner of the BJP-led NDA, named Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Jha working president. The party reiterated its demand for Bihar’s special category status or package.
The JDU’s national executive meeting in New Delhi on Saturday appointed Jha as working president. Jha’s selection boosts the ruling NDA due to his close relations with BJP’s top leadership. He leads the party in Rajya Sabha.
“Now that JDU is in the BJP-led central government, Nitish Ji may need to communicate with them. Jha is a good working president candidate in the current environment,” a source in JDU stated.
Another crucial resolution requesting special category status or package for Bihar was passed at the party’s national executive meeting. Jha told reporters after his appointment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi always paid attention to Bihar and hoped the party’s request for special category status or a package would be granted.
The party also passed a resolution seeking a strict law to deal with cases of paper leaks at the national level.
However, the party apparently showed its soft stand on its old demand for caste census at the national level. The party has passed a resolution requesting the central government to include the Act, which was recently passed by the Bihar assembly for raising reservation for OBCs, SCs and STs in government jobs and higher educational institutions in Bihar, in the 9th schedule of the Constitution. Recently, the Patna High Court set aside the Bihar government’s amendments to increase the reservation for OBCs, MBCs, SCs and STs in government jobs and education institutions. The Bihar government has already taken a decision to file a revision petition in the Supreme court against the HC’s judgement.
In its resolution, passed by the national executive, the party said that JDU believes in politics and coordination and cooperation, the party’s coordination and partnership with BJP is more than two decades old. The party said it will contest the 2025 assembly polls under the leadership of Nitish Kumar in the NDA.
