The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s plan to corner the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation on alleged discrepancies in figures presented in the annual budget at a special council meeting on Tuesday fizzled out after the Mayor ruled that no discussion on a budget which has already been passed can be allowed. The special council meeting witnessed loud shouting matches between the ruling front and the opposition, and ended with a protest march by BJP councillors accusing the ruling party of running away from discussions.
The BJP had demanded a special council meeting to discuss alleged discrepancies in figures presented in the annual administrative report of the previous year and the annual budget of 2022-23.
The notice was accepted and the meeting was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. However, as soon as the meeting began, Works Standing Committee Chairperson D.R.Anil raised a point of order, questioning the propriety of discussing a budget which has already been passed.
"It is unheard of in any municipality to organise a discussion of a budget which has been passed already after detailed discussions. When two days were given for budget discussions, the BJP councillors used time wasting tactics and even tore the budget papers in protest. Such a discussion should not be allowed as this demand has no legal basis. The frequent demands for special council meetings from the BJP is aimed at scuttling governance in the Corporation," said Mr.Anil.
Mayor Arya Rajendran, who gave a ruling disallowing the discussion, also accused the BJP of scuttling the debate when two days were allowed for budget discussions.
"If there are issues concerning a budget that has already been passed, it is the audit wing which has to look into it. Now, the Corporation is moving ahead with the preliminary steps for implementation of the projects proposed in the budget. It is not proper to organise a discussion on the budget at such a time. Considering the opinion of the majority, it has been decided to disallow this discussion," she said.
BJP councillor M.R.Gopan accused the LDF of misusing the strength of its majority to bypass the Municipal Act, based on which the demand for the special council was raised. However, his speech was soon drowned out as the LDF councillors rose up in protest, holding up photographs of the BJP councillors tearing the budget during the discussions in March. Deputy Mayor P.K.Raju, who had presented the budget, said that such a discussion should not be allowed under any circumstances and that he will not respond to any questions raised in such a discussion. UDF Councillor Johnson Joseph accused the CPI(M) and BJP of playing out a drama. As the shouting matches continued, the Mayor declared that the meeting has ended.
