The Hindu : Orissa CM presents vote-on-account

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004

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Orissa CM presents vote-on-account

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR, FEB. 3. The opening day of the special session of the Orissa Assembly convened by the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party Government to seek a vote-on-account before dissolving the Assembly for early polls, turned out to be a virtual election platform on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, detailed his Government's achievements in the past four years and announced the works planned for the coming days. "We are seeking a fresh mandate to carry forward our unfinished tasks. After the people have given the mandate, I hope we will meet once again with new vigour and new ideas to put our State on a sound growth path," Mr. Patnaik said in his 15-page speech. Justifying his Government's decision for seeking early elections, Mr. Patnaik said that the enforcement of the model code of conduct for two different durations during the ensuing Lok Sabha polls and the Assembly elections in February next year with the monsoon coming between would hinder development activities in the State. "Holding two elections simultaneously would reduce poll-related expenditure,'' he said.

Mr. Patnaik, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented a Rs. 6,425.71-crore vote-on-account for 2004-05 to defray the expenses for the next four months.

The Opposition members in the House used the opportunity to slam the alliance government on various counts. The Congress members staged a walkout.

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Orissa CM presents vote-on-account