Budget session likely to be turbulent

TDP camp mulls new strategy to counter the Opposition

March 07, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:48 am IST - HYDERABAD:

The budget session of the State Assembly is likely to be turbulent, with the main Opposition YSR Congress party training its guns on the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for turning the land pooling for the capital into a “real estate business” and for failing to get special category status despite being NDA Government’s alliance partner.

The session will begin with the Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan’s address to the joint session of Assembly and Legislative Council at 9 am on Saturday. The House will adjourn for the day and meet on March 9 to take up debate on motion of thanks to the Governor’s address.

After three-day debate, the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is expected to reply to it on March 11. Finance Minister, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu will present his first full- fledged budget for the State on March 12, while Agriculture Minister, Prathipati Pulla Rao will table the Agriculture budget on March 13. Debate on budget demands will follow and the session is likely to go on till March last week.

The ruling TDP is all set to change its strategy to counter the Opposition.

Unlike in the past, when the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu used to launch the counter attack, the ruling party has decided to marshal its senior MLAs, whips and Ministers in that order.

This line- up would be there to take on the Opposition, be it land pooling, debt redemption schemes for farmers or Pattiseema lift irrigation project to divert surplus Godavari waters to Krishna basin to provide succour to Rayalaseema or the drinking water scarcity, relief measures in drought affected areas.

This was decided in the meeting convened by Mr. Naidu with some Ministers, party MLAs and senior leaders here on Friday to finalise the strategy for the budget session.

Mr. Naidu is believed to have asked the Ministers to prepare well to give comprehensive answers without giving any scope for the Opposition to put the government in a spot.

The YSR Congress is all geared up to embarrass the Government using the comments made by film actor and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan on land pooling for the Capital.

It would raise the issue of the TDP government’s failure in extracting special category status and funds for new Capital from Centre and too much of reliance on Singapore and Japanese agencies for developing the Capital.

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