Through Budget session, MLAs put House in order

Fri, Mar 14 03:13 AM

Well done! That's what one would like to tell Uttar Pradesh MLAs who just took part in the Budget session. Reason: probably for the first time, the Opposition did not barge into the well on each and every issue, disrupting the proceedings. Perhaps for the first time in a decade, marshals and other security staff did not have to use force to tame the Opposition.

In 18 days of the session, debates were held on each department's allocation and performance till late in the evening. The legislators raised and discussed some serious issues, and the Opposition was given ample opportunities to corner the Government.

Senior BJP leader Hukum Singh credits the Opposition, his party in particular, with ensuring a productive and worthwhile session that had a happy ending. "The BJP had decided not to play to the gallery and for the first time we did not go to the well," he says, adding "we staged a few walkouts, which underline disagreement of the Opposition on an issue, but joined back the proceedings after the token gesture".

Though all MLAs feel the session should carry on for a minimum of 25 days (this one concluded in 18 days), they agree that after many years the Budget session was conducted according to constitutional norms. "It is not the number of days but the productivity of those days which should be kept in mind," explained a leader while congratulating Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar, a BSP member, for not yielding to Government pressure and conducting the House efficiently.

"It is the best Budget session, at least as far as the governments headed by Mayawati in the past," claimed Congress Legislature Party leader Promod Tiwari. According to him, none of the parties were interested in running proper sessions of the Assembly in the past.

Incidentally, the CM was present in the Assembly only on five days. "Yes, the ruling party did not cooperate as much as the Opposition. Still, they were a hundred times better than the SP Government," claimed Singh. "After seeing a disciplined lot of BJP members, SP MLAs too restrained themselves from disturbing the proceedings."

Senior SP leader Ambika Choudhary, however, did not seem impressed with the peaceful session. "Debate on each department should be held at least for two days," he said. "It might have been one or two odd occasions when a session could not be held properly under the Mulayam Government but most of the times we ensured very long sessions."

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