Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 29: Entire Opposition today unanimously called for extending budget session of the Legislature from 24 sittings to 30 or 35 prompting Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta to reschedule the dates for presentation of annual general budget for 2017-18 and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s reply to Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s Address. However, the PDP and BJP disagreed with the Opposition demand saying the budget session had never in the past exceeded 25 to 26 sittings.
With united Opposition mounting an offensive and giving aggressive postures ahead of the budget session, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today called joint meeting of the Alliance Government partners at her official residence over dinner on December 31 to chalk out the strategy of the Government to counter the Opposition during the budget session.
At an All Party Meeting called by the Speaker this afternoon ahead of the budget session, the Opposition parties including National Conference, Congress, CPM and PDF jointly projected the demand for extending budget session from present 24 sittings to 30 or 35 sittings so that their issues are adequately raised in the Assembly and the Government also gets proper time to reply.
Former Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar represented National Conference in the meeting while Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rigzin Jora, CPM leader MY Tarigami and PDF MLA Hakim Mohammad Yasin were also part of the Opposition. The Government was represented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri, Agriculture Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, BJP president Sat Sharma CA, Rajesh Gupta, BJP chief whip and Bashir Ahmad, People’s Conference.
Sources said the Opposition parties were of the view that the Speaker should do away with double sittings and instead increase total number of sittings. They asserted that there can’t be any Question Hour during second sitting of the session, which was of utmost importance.
Pointing out that the MLAs have submitted 1154 questions for budget session, the Opposition MLAs said number of questions to be listed during the Question Hour would go up if the total sittings are increased.
Sources said Speaker Kavinder Gupta immediately carried out certain changes in calendar for the budget session and assured the Opposition that their demand for increase in the sittings would be taken up.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti would now reply to debate on Motion of Thanks to Governor’s Address on January 9 instead of earlier fixed date of January 4. The general budget for 2017-18, which was due to be presented by Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu on January 9, has been deferred by a day to January 10.
Similarly, entire business after presentation of the budget will be extended by a day. The Assembly session, which was scheduled to adjourn on February 4, will now have sittings till February 6.
Sources said the Speaker agreed to the demand of Opposition parties to grant more time for debate on the Governor’s Address. The Speaker conceded their demand. Earlier, the Governor’s Address was to be debated on January 3 and 4. The Chief Minister had to reply to the debate in the afternoon of January 4. Now, the debate will take place on two full days of January 3 and 4 while the Chief Minister would give her reply on January 9 after four-day break in the Assembly from January 5-8.
With this, duration of the Assembly session has been extended from 34 days to 36 days while total sittings have gone up from 24 to 25.
Sources said the ruling Alliance partners opposed the demand for increase in duration of the budget session saying the sittings were enough to debate the issues.
“In all previous budget sessions, there used to be 25 to 26 sittings. We haven’t curtailed the number of sittings. All Departments would be debated in the House and there were enough days for debate on the Governor’s Address and general budget,” the PDP and BJP leaders said at the meeting.
However, the Speaker was reported to have told the Opposition that their demand for increase in total number of sittings and cutting down double sittings would be put before the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Assembly.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today called the meeting of coalition partners including PDP, BJP and People’s Conference at her official residence here on December 31 over the dinner. All Ministers, MLAs and MLCs of the Alliance partners have been called to the meeting.
Sources said the alliance partners would devise their strategy in the meeting to stay united even when Opposition rakes up controversial issues and counter them.
The Alliance partners were of the view that the Opposition parties especially the National Conference and Congress could rake up the issues on which the PDP and BJP have some differences. However, the partners would stay united to counter the Opposition, sources said.
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