Chhattisgarh budget session from Feb 17

Raipur, Feb 17: The budget session of the Chhattisgarh Assembly, beginning here tomorrow, is expected to witness an opposition Congress onslaught on the Dr Raman Singh government, which is gearing up to present a pre-poll budget this month. As the assembly elections are scheduled to be held for later this year, Chief Minister Raman Singh is all set present his government's pre-election budget during the session, which is scheduled to conclude on April 2.

Ruling BJP sources said the budget, to be presented in the last week of February, was unlikely to impose any fresh taxes and the government could come up with new welfare schemes, mainly for the farmers and other poor sections of the society. The opposition Congress is gearing up for an onslaught on the Dr Raman Singh government as the session, with 26 sittings, throws up an opportunity to expose and corner the BJP government before the assembly elections.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) deputy leader Bhupesh Baghel said the party legislators would meet to finalise the strategy to be adopted during the budget session as the BJP government had failed on all fronts, including on the law and order situation.

He indicated that the Congress legislators could raise in assembly the issue of spread of Naxalite activities, even to urban areas, and the BJP government's failure to contain the menace.

He said the recent arrest of Maoists and their sympathisers and seizure of weapons from the state capital and nearby places clearly indicated that Maoist network had even penetrated even to the cities.

Alleging that corruption continued to be a major issue under the BJP regime, Mr Baghel said it had scaled new heights in many departments where 'innovative' methods have been devised for corruption.

''There are even complaints of irregularities and corruption in e-tendering process which has been introduced to bring more transparency'', he pointed out.

Alleging that the BJP government has lost its grip on the bureaucracy, he claimed that the administration was not responsive to the people.

The ruling BJP is in an upbeat mood after its three successive victories in the assembly by-elections.

Senior BJP leader and Revenue Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said the ruling party never felt the presence of opposition parties which, he claimed, was demoralised.

''Opposition Congress has nothing to raise against our government'', he said, adding that internal contradictions within the opposition Congress would become visible during the coming budget session.

UNI