Congress ready to corner BJP, budget session likely to be stormy
LOOKING AHEAD Vasundhara Raje, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the state budget on February 12
A stormy budget session is on the cards when the Rajasthan Assembly reconvenes on Monday with a resurgent Congress all set to corner the Vasundhara Raje-led government on a host of issues ranging from “farm distress to rising unemployment and deteriorating law and order”.
On Monday, the proceedings will begin with the address of Governor Kalyan Singh and the legislative business will be taken up from Tuesday, an official said. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the state budget on February 12.
Leader of opposition in state Assembly Rameshwar Dudi called a meeting of Congress legislatures at his residence on Sunday to finalise the party’s strategy to corner the government.
The Congress, buoyed by the recent victory in all three bypolls in the state, is set to raise issues related to farmers, unemployment, law and order and corruption.
Apart from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will also face the ire of its own senior MLAs, including Ghanshyam Tiwari, who are ready to raise some uncomfortable questions on the floor of the House.
“I will raise the issue of farmers’ distress, Kala Kanoon (Criminal Laws Rajasthan Amendment Bill), the 13 Civil Lines bungalow occupied by the chief minister, running of schools inPublic-private partnership (PPP) mode, privatisation of roadways and rampant corruption in the government among other issues,” Tiwari said.
The controversial Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill was tabled in the Assembly by Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria on October 22 to replace an ordinance promulgated on September 7.
However, facing flak from various quarters, the government had referred the bill that seeks to protect public servants and judges from prosecution without its prior sanction to a select committee of the Assembly.
Sources said that the committee which was to submit its report in this session is likely to recommend to the government to drop the bill as no extensive discussions have taken place despite four meetings held on the issue.
The Criminal Laws bill seeks to protect serving and former judges, magistrates and public servants from being investigated for on-duty action, without the prior sanction of the government. It also bars the media from reporting on such accusations till the sanction to proceed with the probe is given by the government.
In another development, farmers, under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) affiliated to CPI-M, have decided to go on an “indefinite siege” of the state assembly from February 22. The association has been conducting ‘Kisan Sansad’ at the village level for the past two months.
The BJP has also convened a meeting of its legislative party at 12.30 pm on Monday to chart out its strategy for the budget session. The legislative business will commence from Tuesday.
JAIPUR: