POWER TWISTS PRIORITIES IN FIRST TELANGANA BUDGET

The ongoing power crisis has altered the budget plans of the Telangana government. The Budget Session of the Telangana legislature will commence on Wednesday and the first Budget will be presented on the first day itself.

The original focus of the first Budget was to be on welfare schemes, irriga- tion, roads and infrastructure development. The severe power shortage has forced the government to allot more funds for purchase of power.

The TS government has spent `150 crore over the past month, purchasing power at `5 crore per day on average since last month. The bill is only set to grow bigger.

The Congress Legislature Party, which met here on Monday, to devise its strategy in the ensuing Budget Session of the Telangana state Assembly and Council, decided to move cut motions and amendments to nail the TRS government. It also intends to shame its own legislators, who have defected to the TRS.

The CLP meeting attended by the leaders of Opposition K. Jana Reddy (Assembly) and D. Srinivas (Council) was presided over by TPCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah. A detailed discussion took place in the four-hour meeting on the recent defections of legislators to the TRS and decided to expose them using the proceedings of the Budget Session.

“We have decided to shame these legislators, who left our party and joined the TRS. We will expose them in their respective constituencies by organising rallies against their defection and demand their resignation,” former minister and deputy leader in the Council, Shabbir Ali told newsmen.

Congress whip in the Assembly Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said, “In principle we have decided to move cut motions and amendments to various government demands and Budget proposals. We will also coordinate with other Opposition parties in this effort and we may issue whips to legislators to vote in favour of party motions. That will be binding for the legislators to follow. Otherwise they will lose their membership in the House.”

In reply to a question he said, there is no plan to introduce a no-confidence motion against the four-and-ahalf month old TRS government during the Budget Session.

“But we will move cut motions on demands and Budget proposals to nail the anti-poor programmes of the TRS government,” Mr Vikramarka said.