FM writes to Speaker seeking immunity
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 3: Ahead of budget session of the Legislature beginning first week of January, Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu has stirred a controversy by writing to Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta seeking that no questions pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir Bank should be entertained in the House. However, the Speaker hasn’t taken any decision so far and was likely to consult legal and Constitutional experts shortly before giving his verdict.
Official sources told the Excelsior that budget session of the Legislature is set to be held before January 7 with Governor’s Address to Joint Session of the Legislature and the Speaker has tomorrow called Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri for a meeting to finalize dates for the Address, which could be held between January 2 and 6.
Sources said Drabu has shot off an official letter to the Speaker seeking that any kind of questions pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir Bank shouldn’t be entertaining in the Legislative Assembly citing that the Bank was governed under the norms of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Drabu has also cited autonomous character of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank as another reason for keeping the institution out of purview of the debate in the Assembly.
Drabu’s decision seeking exemption for Jammu and Kashmir Bank from debate by the legislators has triggered a row with number of legislators including former Finance Ministers, to whom the Excelsior spoke, describing the Finance Minister’s decision as “totally unjustified” saying the State Government has majority share of 51 per cent in the Jammu and Kashmir Bank.
“An institution, which has 51 per cent or 52 per cent Government money involved, has to be debated in the Assembly to ensure “transparent working” of the Bank. Majority share by the Government has made it a Government institution. How can you keep it out of purview of discussion by the legislators”?, they asked.
Noting that in 2015 Assembly session, the questions pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir Bank had been listed in the House and replied by Haseeb Drabu, sources said even former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, who had distinction of presenting number of budgets in the Legislature, used to answer questions pertaining to J&K Bank on the ground that the Bank has majority share of 51 per cent by the State Government. Former Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone had listed questions pertaining to the J&K Bank.
Calling for “complete transparency” in the Bank, a number of legislators questioned Drabu’s decision saying no other nationalized Bank has ever sought such an exemption in the Parliament.
Smelling something fishy behind the Finance Minister’s letter to the Speaker for immunity to the J&K Bank from debate in the Legislature, they were of the view that Drabu should himself propose discussion on the Bank to prove that “everything was alright” and they have nothing to hide.
Reminding Drabu of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s famous quote that “debate is the essence of democracy”, a slogan which has also been carried forward by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the political observers urged the Speaker to openly reject the demand made by the Finance Minister to send out a clear signal that the Government stand for transparency and not for hiding the facts.
It may be mentioned here that Jammu and Kashmir Bank has often invited criticism from not only the Opposition but also from the ruling BJP for not maintaining transparency in the selection lists, sources said the Opposition had braced itself up to target the Finance Minister on functioning of the J&K Bank.
Meanwhile, according to sources, budget session of the Legislature would start in first week of January, most likely between January 2 and 6 while the Finance Minister could present budget in second week of January. Exact details for start of the session with the Governor’s Address to Joint Session of the Legislature and the budget dates would be finalized by the Speaker in consultations with the Parliamentary Affairs and Finance Ministers after Governor NN Vohra issues summons for the Legislature on recommendations of the State Cabinet.
The Finance Minister had earlier mooted a proposal for clubbing heads on the Demand for Grants of the Departments into seven. However, sources said, the proposal hasn’t been discussed with the Speaker so far.
This will be fourth budget of PDP-BJP coalition Government in a row. Three previous budgets of the present Government have been presented by Drabu and the fourth one will also be presented by him. First budget of the Government was presented in March 2015, second in June 2016 and third in January 2017. The fourth budget for Financial Year of 2018-19 will be presented in second week of January 2018, sources said.
Pre-budget discussions and consultations by the Finance Minister and his officials were on, they added.
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