The Kerala Government and the Opposition reportedly clashed over the date of the State Budget presentation for the 2024-25 fiscal year at a crucial meeting of the Assembly’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) here on January 29 (Monday).
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reportedly disagreed with Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s demand to advance the Budget presentation from February 5 to February 2.
In early January, Mr. Satheesan made the demand in writing to Speaker A.N. Shamseer. Mr Shamsheer is the BAC’s ex officio chairperson.
Time needed: Satheesan
Mr. Satheesan made the case that the Opposition required time to finalise the preparations for the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) nearly month-long campaign tour against the “wrongdoings” of the Central and the State governments commencing from Kasaragod on February 9.
KPCC president K. Sudhakaran and Mr. Satheesan will jointly captain the “long march”, concluding almost a month later with a mammoth public rally and meeting in Thiruvananthapuram.
Walkout
Mr. Satheesan reportedly cited precedents for such adjustments in the Legislative calendar. He accused the government of not cooperating with the Opposition and walked out of the meeting, stating that the interaction seemed “meaningless.”
The government and the Opposition had traded charges of non-cooperation, with the United Democratic Front (UDF) boycotting Mr. Vijayan’s impending protest in New Delhi against the Centre’s alleged trespasses on federalism.
Later, at a press conference in the Assembly media room, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said the Congress leadership in Kerala, in alleged variance with the party’s national line on federalism, has repeatedly scuttled the State government’s attempts to muster bipartisan approval for the endeavour to put the Centre on the dock for imposing a “financial embargo” on Kerala.
The BAC also reportedly decided to cut down the duration of the Assembly session from March 27 to February 15.
