The Hindu : Many decisions to come under House scrutiny

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 15, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Many decisions to come under House scrutiny

By Roy Mathew

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 14. The Budget session of the Assembly begins here on Thursday amidst continuing crisis in the State unit of the Congress and controversies surrounding several actions of the Government.

The CPI(M)-led Opposition would find this a great opportunity to attack the Government. However, attempts at the national level to forge a unity of secular forces to fight the Lok Sabha elections will be dampener. The ruling Front will counter any dig at the State of affairs in the Congress, highlighting the differences in the CPI (M) over ideological issues.

Yet, the faction fight in the Congress, if not settled before debates begin in the House, will be a headache for the Government side. The Karunakaran faction is sure to express its dissent even by speaking against the Government. The Government would have to face embarrassment if matters take such a turn.

The House will begin the session with the Governor's address on Thursday. Friday would be devoted to obituary reference to the late Mammen Mathai. The three-day debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor for his address will begin on January 19.

The presentation of the Budget for the coming financial year is scheduled for January 23 and the general discussion on the Budget is to begin on January 27. The House was to debate the demands for grants in full in March. However, this schedule will now be altered in view of the Government's decision to go in for a vote on account.

The decision was taken considering the forthcoming elections to the Lok Sabha. This upsets the plans made by the Government under the Modernising Government Programme to ensure regularity of budget cycle, facilitating early budget implementation by spending departments and agencies. However, some components of the initiatives for fiscal sustainability would still be implemented.

The Government will highlight its achievements in detail in the Governor's address, not only as a response to Opposition criticism but also in reply to criticism from within the Front. The Finance Minister would be hard-pressed to come up with plans to augment resources and steer the State clear of further crisis in the State's finances. Efforts at better financial management have not yet yielded the desired results with deficits and debts going up. He would have some explaining to do in this regard.

The Government has averted some of the embarrassment it would have faced in the House by deciding to withdraw some of the no-objection certificates it had issued for starting B. Ed. colleges. However, the allegations of corruption surrounding the issue would reverberate in the House.

Besides that, a number allegations and corruption charges against Ministers and officials would embarrass the Government in the House. The Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, had been campaigning against several of these during the interval between the last session and this one. He might also raise the issue of the move to appoint an acting chairman for the State Human Rights Commission despite his objections. The Opposition is also sure to raise issues like the forthcoming agreement with Tamil Nadu on Parambikulam-Aliyar river waters and how far the Government had been successfully negotiating to protect the interests of the State. Measures being taken for reforms will have to be defended and its strategies pushed through the legislature.

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