Trinamool threatens to move EC if full budget is presented

Kolkata, Mar 4: Trinamool Congress today threatened to move the Election Commission if the Left Front government presents a full-fledged budget for 2011-12 in view of the model code of conduct already coming into effect.

"If the government wants to table a full-fledged budget containing promises for the people, it requires adherence to the model code of conduct. We will take it up with the Election Commission before the budget session of the House begins on March 10," Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Partha Chatterjee told reporters.

His comment came shortly after Speaker H A Halim told reporters here that the budget for the whole year would be tabled, but a vote-on-account will be presented for the tenure of the present Left Front government.

"When the next government comes, it can continue with the budget as placed or they can table another budget," Halim observed.

The Speaker contended that pro-people proposals, if any, in the budget would not amount to violation of the model code of conduct.

The term of the present Assembly ends on June 11. West Bengal will have a six-phase polling on April 18, 23, 27, May 3, 7 and 10. For the 294-member Assembly the notification for the first phase will be issued on March 23.

The brief Budget Session of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly will commence on March 10, Assembly sources here said.

They said the Session would begin with the conventional address of Governor M K Narayanan and it would continue till March 25.

Chatterjee said the Trinamool Congress was also opposed to the state government''s move to pass some of the key bills in the coming session when ''the Left Front government is on its way out''.

He said that it was also ridiculous that the state government has decided that the session would continue till March 25 when the legislators would be busy in their constituencies for electioneering work.

PTI