Stormy Budget session: With the Bharatiya Janata Party all set to attack Congress over the implementation of its poll guarantees one-and-a-half months after it came to power with a majority, a stormy session in the Karnataka Assembly awaits the ruling party, which is starting on Monday (July 3).
The BJP is gearing up to attack Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the government’s ‘failure’ to implement the five guarantees which the Congress had guaranteed that they would come into effect from the government came to power.
Siddaramaiah, who holds the finance portfolio, will present his budget on July 7.
The Assembly session will start with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot addressing the joint session of both Houses of the legislature on Monday, in which he will highlight the government programme.
Bills likely in upcoming session
In the upcoming session, the Karnataka government is likely to bring in a Bill to scrap the anti-conversion law called Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, which was promulgated by the previous BJP government.
Some Congress insiders said that the government will also table a Bill scrapping the anti-cow slaughter law known as Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020.
The government may also introduce a bill repealing the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, besides another amendment pertaining to the Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Act, 2020, they said.
A din is expected in the Assembly from the Opposition ranks when the Congress government introduces these Bills as the BJP is likely to stage protests.
The exercise to ‘de-saffronise’ textbooks may also invite the BJP’s ire during the session.
Five guarantees
The Siddaramaiah government will make budgetary provisions for its five guarantee schemes, namely Gruha Jyoti (offering up to 200 units free electricity for residential purposes), Gruha Lakshmi (promising Rs 2,000 to women heads of BPL/APL ration card holders), Anna Bhagya (Promising 10 kg rice to each member of BPL ration card holders), Yuva Nidhi (offering Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders who passed this academic year, for 24 months) and ‘Shakti’ offering free bus rides to Karnataka women across Karnataka in non-luxury government buses.
According to an estimate by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the state which has a budget of over Rs 3.35 lakh crore will spend over Rs 60,000 crore on the five poll guarantees.
The BJP, on the other hand, will hold protests both inside and outside the Assembly against the ‘failure’ of the Congress government to implement the guarantees.
Former chief minister and BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa has given the call for the protests stating that thousands of party workers will join him.
The BJP, however, is yet to appoint a Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly.
(With PTI inputs)
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