Constitutional crisis could result if parties disagree on Budget: Speaker

There could be a Constitutional crisis if all political parties did not agree to pass the Union Budget, according to Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma. Fortunately, all the political leaders he had met had given him an assurance that their parties would co-operate in passing the Budget even if the United Front government fails to secure a majority in Parliament on April 11.

It is Parliament, not the government that passes the Budget, points out constitutional experts. So as long as political parties of various hues don’t disagree, even a minority government can get financial bills passed, they said.

If all political parties did not come to an understanding and if Parliament was going to be dissolved, the present Lok Sabha could pass a vote-on-account to tide over the period until a new Government is formed, according to Sangma.

"I hope they (the political parties) will not do anything that will lead to a Constitutional break-down," the Speaker said. "I do not foresee any crisis."

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Srikant Jena had already discussed the matter with the Speaker and would get back to him with their parties’s views. "Many MPs have met me and expressed concern," he said.

One laywer echoed Sangma’s view, saying the Budget can be passed even if the government goes as long all the parties agree on a common approach.

Others felt that the demands-in grants should be cleared by the perspective committees but said there was no reason it could be stopped once passed by the Lok Sabha.

The motion of confidence by the UF government would have precedence over the Budget, he said, adding that the Budget has to be approved by the end of May.

Sangma pointed out that a similar thing had happened after Chandra Shekhar resigned as prime minister on March 6, 1991. Sangma said the House passed the interim budget and interim railway budget after that.

Then Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray had consulted the President and called an all-party meeting the day after Chandra Shekhar resigned, to discuss how the budgets could be passed. It was only after the budgets were approved, Sangma said, that the Lok Sabha was dissolved.