Patna, April 15: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will raise the issue of special status for Bihar in the monsoon session of Parliament.

The alliance will press for changing of norms set by the Planning Commission for according special status to states, BJP national spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said. “We raised the issue during the budget session. During the monsoon session, the issue would be pursued more vigorously,” Rudy said at a news conference here today.

Accompanied by Krishna Kumar, the JD(U) MLA from Amnour, Rudy said the norms set by the Planning Commission were just illustrative and they could not be made a basis for denying the state what was due to it.

According to Planning Commission norms, factors like hilly and difficult terrain, low population density, sizeable share of tribal population, strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries, economic and infrastructure backwardness and non-viable nature of state finances can influence a decision on according of special status.

“It is not Bihar’s fault if it is located in the plains and if it does not have a sizeable tribal population. Bihar meets the other three criteria, hence the Centre should accord special status to the state,” Rudy said.

He added that if required, the norms should be changed and NDA members would press for this in the monsoon session.

Predicting doom for the Left in the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, Rudy, who recently returned after a hectic campaign tour from the deep south, claimed that the election results would throw up surprises and that the BJP would win a good number of seats. He said the Left would lose power in Kerala and Bengal.

Expressing the party’s concern over “mixing of cricket with diplomacy”, Rudy said cricketing ties should not be used as a platform for diplomatic negotiations.

He was reacting to recent reports suggesting that the UPA government was willing to promote cricketing ties with Pakistan as part of its move to improve relations between the two countries.

Replying to queries on whether Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar should resign in the wake of the recent reports that corporate lobbyist Niira Radia had told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that the Maharashtra leader was involved with a company named in the 2G scam, the BJP leader said his party wanted the Prime Minister to resign first.

The Prime Minister, Rudy said, had tried to shield then telecom minister A. Raja despite knowledge of the wrongdoings. Rudy also reiterated the BJP stand for reviewing the nuclear deal with the US.

“Taking lessons from the recent incidents in Japan, the Centre should have a re-look at its nuclear policy. It should also think twice before importing machinery from the US, which would be used in nuclear reactors as many scientists have said these machineries are not time-tested.”