GOVT RACING AGAINST TIME BUT PM RELAXED
The Government is racing against time. The budget session of Parliament ends on Friday and before that it has to complete the first round of discussion on the Union Budget, so as to send the demands to the standing committees for the ministry-wise closed-door scrutiny.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar unveiled the Government’s plan in the Lok Sabha at noon to let the House sit till late in the night on Tuesday to clear the motion of thanks on the President’s address to let devote the rest of time to the Union Budget. His plan was to finish the budget on Thursday since Friday is a day for the private members’ business.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sat relaxed listening to the debate on the motion of thanks, however, disrupted the Parliamentary Minister’s plan by declaring that he would like to reply to it on Wednesday. So the motion has to remain on board for another day, cutting into the time required for the Union Budget.
The BJP was quick to issue a whip to the party members to be present in the House on Wednesday and Thursday. Technically, Modi will participate in the debate on the motion as the reply has to come from BJP chief whip Rakesh Singh, MP from Jabalpur, as he had initiated it by piloting the motion of thanks.
The major part of the debate on the motion was, however, marred by continuous slogans from the well by the MPs of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSR Congress Party, seeking that the Centre declare Andhra Pradesh as a special status to provide it extra funds. The Speaker adjourned the House once during the question hour, but then continued with the proceedings ignoring their loud shouts.
Most embarrassing for the Modi government as the TDP is one of its allies. The TDP ended its protests in the well only in the evening after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced in both the Houses that he has directed the Expenditure Secretary to work out a mechanism for providing funds to Andhra Pradesh as an extra-budgetary measure. The FM said the state government has asked for externally-aided projects. He said such projects are approved by external agencies like JICA or World Bank, but it “takes time.”
“So the Chief Minister (Chandrababu Naidu) has written to me saying have it funded from NABARD. But once it is funded from NABARD, it creates a problem with regard to addition to the fiscal deficit because in that case the borrowing space of the state itself would be contracted,” Jaitley explained, asking the agitating MPs to return to their seats as Andhra Pradesh will get extra funds to meet its exigencies.