The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Sparks may fly at Assembly session

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Sunday, Jun 22, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Sparks may fly at Assembly session

Roy Mathew

Speaker to think of special session for committee reports

Extended Budget session begins tomorrow
House slated to adjourn sine die
on July 24

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The extended Budget session of the Assembly, beginning on Monday, is likely to be tumultuous with the Opposition gearing up for protest on a number of counts.

The Opposition has been building up an agitation over the content of the social science textbook of the seventh standard and other educational issues during the past week.

Though the CPI and the CPI (M) have settled their differences over the food security programme just before the start of the session, differences persist on other issues. The aftermath of takeover of the Trivandrum Golf Club and differences in the ruling Front are sure to be exploited by the Opposition during the debates.

Investigations over god men, atrocities against women, land mafia, price rise and goonda menace will provide added ammunition.

Performance of the government or lack of it during the past two years will be the focus of the debate on the demands for grants in the Budget. Power shortages will also seize the attention of the House. The usual dose of allegations and corruption charges are only to be expected. Cornering of land by industries would be another issue besides encroachment on government land.

Policies

Government policies such as land policy, water policy, forest policy, women’s policy and disaster management policy are awaiting finalisation. The government may make final policy statements on a few during the session.

The debate on the budgetary demands will stretch through 13 days followed by three days for adoption of appropriation bills. The House is slated to adjourn sine die on July 24 after 23 days of sittings. It will be getting hardly any time for legislative business except on the opening day.

Ordinances

Sixteen Ordinances require replacement. Several of these are re-promulgated ones which will have to be issued again if the House failed to consider them. The government had gone for promulgation of Ordinances even on the eve of the Cabinet decision to convene the Assembly. Speaker K. Radharkrishnan skirted questions at a press conference here on Saturday on the piling up of the Ordinances and the propriety of the Governor promulgating Ordinances just before convening of the Assembly. He admitted that more time ought to be devoted for not only legislation but also discussion of at least some of the reports of the legislature committees. A special session for discussing the reports would be thought of. The Speaker said that the House was seized of the need to improve its functioning and maintenance of decorum during debates. The Business Committee would discuss proposals in these regard during the session.

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