Opposition demands F M 's resignation

Ranchi, Mar 2 (UNI) Amid chaos and uproar over the alleged leak of budget, the opposition today demanded resignation of Finance Minister Raghubir Das in the Jharkhand Assembly.

As soon as the proceeding of the house started for the day, opposition members, including the JMM, the RJD and the Congress started raising the issue of alleged budget leak.

Demanding that the government give clarification about the revealing of the plan outlay amount for 2006-07 of Rural Engineering Department in a written answer yesterday, some of the opposition members rushed into the well of the house.

Later during zero hour leader of opposition Sudhir Mahto said the incident showed the Finance Minister's 'inexperience'. '' Such a person should not be allowed to lead the finance department anymore.

He should resign,'' he asserted.

In his reply Mr Das said mere revealation of plan outlay amount should not be deemed as a budget leak. '' This ammount is not a part of budget until after various procedural formalities it gets the final nod of the state cabinet so it is not at all a leak.'' he said. On this opposition members said they were not satisfied with the reply.

The opposition members again critisised the Finance Minister when during a call attention motion of JD(U) member Radha Krishna Kishore it was mentioned that the government had not spent more than half of the budgetry allocations during 11 months of the current fiscal.

Later, talking to UNI state UPA convener and former deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi said the opposition would continue to raise the issue. '' We are not at all satisfied with the finance minister's reply. Tomorrow we will raise the technicality of the matter in the house to bare the government.'' UNI RAJ KK RN 1629