Gairsain Session
By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Gairsain, 28 Oct: The two-day session of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly at Bhararisain (Gairsain) concluded today amid noisy protests and strong opposition from Congress members even as the House passed the Rs 7,844.18 crore supplementary budget, the appropriation bill and nine other Bills. The passage of the supplementary Budget and the 10 Bills constituted the principal legislative business of the session today, although the proceedings were repeatedly disrupted by Opposition protests, sloganeering, throwing of papers and the display of black flags inside the House.
The supplementary budget, which provides additional financial allocations for development works and various public welfare schemes during the current financial year, was passed amid the din, along with the Uttarakhand Appropriation (Supplementary) Bill. The Government completed the legislative exercise despite repeated disruptions and demands by the Opposition for discussions on alleged corruption and other issues. All the 10 Bills which were tabled yesterday and listed for consideration and passage today during the session were approved by the House. However, the Opposition objected to the extremely short duration of the session, alleging that adequate time had not been provided for discussion on issues concerning the people of the State.
The bills that were tabled yesterday and passed today include the Uttarakhand Irrigation and Drainage Bill, the Uttarakhand Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development and Regulation (Amendment) Bill, the Uttarakhand Jan Vishwas Provisions (Second Amendment) Bill, the Uttarakhand Minority Education (Amendment) Bill, the Uttarakhand Higher Education (Amendment) Bill, the Uttarakhand Civil Law (Amendment) Bill, the Uttarakhand Fire and Emergency Services Bill, and the Uttarakhand Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill.
The session, which was the last sitting of the present Assembly, could not even complete 11 hours of proceedings before Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan adjourned the House sine die at around 1.10 p.m. this afternoon. Today was the second and concluding day of the session.
The supplementary budget of Rs 7,844.18 crore had been presented by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami yesterday on the first day of the session. Its passage, along with the related appropriation bill, was among the key items of legislative business scheduled for the concluding day. The House was required to take up the supplementary demands for grants, followed by consideration and voting on the appropriation bill to authorise the additional expenditure. However, the proceedings were conducted amid persistent Opposition protests, with little scope for an extended discussion on the various issues raised by Congress members.
Even before the commencement of the day’s proceedings, Congress legislators, led by Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, staged a sit-in outside the Assembly building, raising various issues, including alleged corruption. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal also met the protesting legislators in an attempt to persuade them to participate in the proceedings.
The Opposition’s protest continued inside the House after the proceedings began. The Congress members were upset over the rejection of their adjournment notice seeking a discussion on corruption. They demanded that the issue be taken up under Rule 310 and sought a discussion on an alleged Rs 210 crore matter. The legislators entered the Well of the House, raised slogans and waved black flags. They also raised slogans concerning the Ankita Bhandari case.
Amid the commotion, the proceedings were initially adjourned until 11.20 a.m. and subsequently until noon. When the House reassembled, the Opposition again entered the Well and continued its protest, insisting on a discussion on the issues raised by it. The Question Hour was taken up despite the continued disruption, and Minister Bharat Chaudhary replied to the first starred question. However, Congress legislators continued to raise slogans and wave black flags and pieces of black cloth in the Well.
Despite the disruption, the Government proceeded with the scheduled legislative business. The supplementary demands for grants were taken up and the House passed the Rs 7,844.18 crore supplementary budget. The appropriation bill, which provides legislative authorisation for the expenditure covered by the supplementary grants, was also passed. The remaining Bills listed for consideration were likewise cleared, taking the total number of Bills passed during the two-day session to 10. The Government completed the exercise amid the Opposition’s continued protests, with the Congress members maintaining that the House should have devoted more time to discussing issues of public importance.
The proceedings also witnessed sharp exchanges between members of the ruling party and the Opposition over allegations of corruption involving Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya. Congress leader Pritam Singh raised allegations of corruption linked to the minister and demanded an impartial investigation into the matter. Rekha Arya hit back at the allegations by referring to the Congress Government’s tenure from 2012 to 2017. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, meanwhile, questioned the Opposition’s intention behind seeking an adjournment motion, while Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya maintained that important public issues should be discussed in the House.
Defending the Government’s position on the conduct of the proceedings, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal criticised the Opposition for insisting on a discussion under Rule 310. He said the Opposition had an opportunity to raise the issue under Rule 58 but had failed to utilise it. “The Opposition has shot itself in the foot and caused a loss to the State. The House’s time was important. A notice under Rule 310 is meant for an urgent matter. He alleged that the Opposition is misleading the people.
