Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, March 17
The second phase of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly’s budget session will begin on Tuesday, with Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur saying the government will face tough questions from the BJP on a range of issues.
Speaking to reporters in Shimla ahead of the session, Thakur said the budget session would not be “easy” for the ruling Congress government and that the opposition was prepared to corner it on every major issue in the House.
He said the government would be expected to respond to questions on law and order, the state’s worsening financial condition and stalled development works.
Thakur also accused the government of misleading the Assembly and said notices had already been submitted by the opposition on several key matters.
He questioned the delay in taking up the customary discussion on the governor’s address, saying it was against established convention and raised concerns about the government’s functioning.
The BJP, he said, would strongly raise all these issues during the session.
Thakur further alleged that people were being “cheated” in the name of Section 118, while industrial units were leaving the state and several institutions had shut down.
He also criticised the government’s decision to keep the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Vigilance Department outside the ambit of the Right to Information Act, saying the move weakened transparency.
The second phase of the budget session is expected to witness sharp exchanges between the treasury benches and the opposition.
