The first full-fledged budget speech of Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac for 2017-18 on Friday was marred by the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) boycotting its presentation alleging leak of crucial budget papers on social media and in a section of the language press.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, the lone BJP member O. Rajagopal, and Kerala Congress (M) leader K.M. Mani demanded the resignation of the Finance Minister for the budget leak.
Later, a delegation of the UDF, led by Mr. Chennithala met the Governor and submitted a memorandum seeking his intervention for the Finance Minister’s resignation since the budget leak amounted to a major constitutional lapse. The Opposition also wanted the presentation of a fresh budget under a new Finance Minister.
The UDF also met the Speaker seeking his intervention in the matter since the budget papers were the property of the House and it was the responsibility of the government to protect its sanctity.
The Opposition came up with its charge when the Finance Minister was almost two hours into his speech and reached paragraph 230 of his rather lengthy 148-page text. Mr. Chennithala alleged that the finer details of the Finance Minister’s speech was circulating in the social media even before he had delivered the contents.
The allegations momentarily led to all-round bewilderment, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promising to look into the matter since he was not privy to the developments. The Finance Minister too made a similar statement, but this did not satisfy the UDF members who initially trooped into the well of the House, but later announced the boycott of the rest of the budget speech on ground that the exercise had lost its sanctity and there was no point in listening to it.
The entire question of the leak assumed a different dimension later when Mr. Chennithala, with his Congress colleague V.D. Satheeshan, alleged that relevant portions of Dr. Isaac’s budget speech had been carried verbatim in local vernacular daily also.
“The budget has lost its sanctity. The leak is a reflection of the inefficiency of the government. Dr. Isaac should resign owning responsibility for it,” they said.
Dr. Isaac, however, maintained that there was no leak in the classified budget papers. Only the budget highlights prepared for distribution for the benefit of presspersons had made its way on social media. He did not consider this as part of the budget papers along with other supplementary document.
