Postpone budget, or UP will miss provisions: Akhilesh writes to Modi

The Centre is likely to announce sops in the budget for the five poll-bound states only after the elections are over.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to postpone the Union Budget that is to be presented on February 1. In his letter to Modi, the UP chief minister has said that if the budget is presented on February 1, the state would miss provisions.

"In the wake of the ongoing election process, I urge you to present the budget after the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are over," Akhilesh wrote. The Centre, is however unlikely to postpone the budget.

Based on a recommendation by the Election Commission of India, the Centre is likely to announce sops in the budget for the five poll-bound states only after the elections are over. The budget is Constitutional duty and hence cannot be postponed, Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley had argued to earlier demands of postponing the presentation of the budget.

It may be recalled that even the Supreme Court had rejected a petition which sought directions to postpone the budget. The petitioner had said that the presentation of the budget when the poll process was on would give the ruling party at the centre an advantage during the state polls.

OneIndia News