Budget session of UP legislature starts tomorrow

Lucknow, Feb 7: The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh legislature begins here tomorrow with the address of Governor T V Rajeswar to a joint sitting of both the houses.

The 10-month-old Mayawati government will present the budgetary proposals for 2008-09 on February 12 with no possibility of any tax hike. Newly-appointed Finance Minister Lalji Verma will table the budget, this being the first time someone other than chief minister Mayawati presenting the budget.

The 25-day-long session which will end on March 14, is expected to generate heat in the state with the opposition parties raking up the Bundelkhand drought and other major issues related to the people.

Issues like Ganga Expressway, arrears of the cane farmers, law and order problem, non-holding of student union elections and imposition of Value Added Tax(VAT) would be raised by the opposition parties during the session.

However, it is expected that the Governor's address would pass off peacefully with some minor obstructions by the opposition tomorrow. Interestingly, the private member resolution mooted by the Congress for creation of separate Bundelkhand state is also likely to be presented during the course of session.

The Congress is expected to raise vociferously the plight of farmers in Bundelkhand specially in the light of Governor T V Rajeswar paying visit to the region much to the displeasure of the state government.

Samajwadi Party state working president Shivpal Singh Yadav said his party members would raise all the issues concerning the people through ''democratic norms.'' During the session, the principal opposition SP could again raise the issue related to the manhandling of their leaders by police and unprovoked firing by police at a college in Saifai.

BJP on the other hand would revise the issue of terrorism with reference to the threat to its leaders and the attack on CRPF camp at Rampur.

State parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Verma said here that preparations for the smooth conduct of the session has been completed.

He said all efforts would be made to enable the opposition members to place their views in the House but ''it is suggested that democratic norms should be maintained at all costs'' Meanwhile Principal secretary(Assembly) R P Pandey said three days have been kept for the debate on the Motion of thanks to the Governor's address while a total of four days for discussion on the general budget. Remaining sittings would deal with the approval of budgetary grants on departmental basis and one-and-a-half day would be given for the private members business.

Mr Pandey said, during the session, the government will also table three ordinances which were progumulated when the legislature was not the session.

UNI