BJP refuses to pass Union Budget
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday appealed to President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma not to invite the
United Front to form a new government and opposed the convening of a special session of Parliament for passing the Union Budget for 1997-98 if an alternative government
were to assume office.
''It would not be fair either to Parliament or to democracy or to the people of India if the special session became just another device to complete the economic agenda for a defeated government,''
the BJP said.
The BJP's reservations on both counts were expressed in a letter to the President by leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Atal Bihari Vajpayee and party president Lal Kishinchand Advani. The letter was sent after the BJP's central office-bearers took stock of the prevailing political uncertainty.
About the formation of the next government , the BJP said ''We hold that a party of a coalition defeated on the floor of the House should not be invited to form a government. Formation of such a government, we feel would be unprecedented, unethical and unacceptable.''
With regard to convening of the special session of Parliament, the letter said the BJP had ''consistently stood for responsibility in the conduct of the financial obligations of Parliament. For the
present uncertainty in this context we hold the Congress and the UF as squarely responsible.''
''Therefore, notwithstanding our reservations both on the economic policies and budgetary proposals of the UF and the procedure suggested by the Speaker, we agreed to participate in the discussions and to state our objections in Parliament,'' the BJP leaders informed the President.
''This procedure, sir, is tenable only if the special session is employed for completing an necessary formality. Before reaching the date of the session, however, we submit that all options for an alternative government should be fully exhausted.
That is why, sir, we reiterate that the special session be called only if the possibility of an alternative government no longer exists.''
''If, however, you are examining the establishment of an alternative government that possibility must be exhausted before the due date of reconvening Parliament. If, however a new government is to be formed, the task of completing the financial arrangements should be left to that government,'' the letter added.
Later, party spokesperson Yaswant Sinha clarified that the BJP had at ''no time given any commitment at any forum'' about passing the Budget. He said summoning of the special session of Parliament for this specific purpose would be unfruitful if there was a new government in the saddle.
The vote-on-account approved by Parliament would see through the government till the end of May, said Sinha, himself a former finance minister.
Jaswant Singh, deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, was deputed by the party to represent it at an all-party meeting convened on Friday, April 11, by Speaker Purno A Sangma to arrive at an consensus to pass the Budget at the special session after the Deve Gowda government fell. Sangma had apprised all parties of the problems the country could face if the Finance Bill is not passed within 75 days from the date the Budget was presented -- February 28. ''Both (a special session to pass the Budget and formation of a new government) cannot go together,'' Sinha said.
Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday wrote a formal letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Sangma, requesting him to convene a three-day special session of the lower House from April 21 to pass the Budget and the Finance Bill.
President Sharma, whom Sangma had met earlier in this connection, wrote a letter to Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda , asking him to dispose of all financial business as soon as possible.
Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram on Tuesday clarified that the vote-on-account till May 31 is already approved and, therefore, the Budget and appropriation bills will be taken up in the special session.
The Finance Bill has to be passed by May 14, otherwise the excise and other direct duties announced on February 28 will lapse and create serious problems for the authorities as these have already been enforced from March 1.
Some parties, including the BJP and the Left parties, want a three-day session since they want to move some amendments in the Finance Bill.
Parliamentary affairs ministry sources said that since the Lok Sabha was only adjourned sine die on Friday and was not prorogued by the President, the Speaker can convene a session if he so wishes.
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