Govt passes budget in a day; House adjourned sine die

Lucknow, July 17 (UNI) In a surprise move, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was adjourned sine die, five days ahead of schedule, after it passed the budgetary grants for current financial year along with the related appropriation bills amounting to over Rs 1.10 lakh crore.

The House was to be adjourned on July 27 as per the previous schedule. The Budget session, which began on June 27, had a total of 15 sittings.

The Opposition created a ruckus in the house over the sudden move of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government, with the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staging a noisy walkout.

BJP leader Om Prakash Singh announced that the party will withdraw its representation from the business advisory committee and other committes of the house in protest against the government's move.

State parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Verma said, the budget was passed in a day to prevent any untoward incident in the House following the provacative attitude of the Samajwadi Party.

Besides this, due to the Presidential polls, principal secretary of the assembly would also be busy, he added.

Earlier, the budget, which was tabled by chief minister Mayawati on June 29, was to be passed on July 24.

During the day the House also passed five Bills including Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal (conservation and maintainence) Bill 2007.

Earlier, the Opposition created a din in the Assembly as the government announced to bring all budgetary grants and Appropriation Bill.

Members of the Samajwadi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to the Well of the House as Mr Verma announced the government's plans to bring all budgetary grants and the Appropriation Bill today.

Terming the move as ''undemocratic and against the laid down norms'', Ambika Chaudhury (SP) termed the day as a ''black day'' in the history of the state legislature.

The minister explained that since the Opposition was not allowing the smooth functioning of the house for the past three days, the government thought it would be appropriate to bring all grants on a single day. ''Disruption of the House means a waste of public funds...the government is against it,'' he said.

In 1990, the then government had brought all such grants on a single day which were passed peacefully, he said, adding, ''There is nothing wrong in the move. It is in accordance to the laid down procedures.'' UNI