Budget session likely to be stormy affair

Chandigarh, March 19 

The budget session of the Punjab Assembly, commencing here on Tuesday, is likely to be a stormy affair with the opposition AAP and SAD geared up to corner the Congress government over several issues, including farmers suicides, unemployment and drug trade.

However, the ruling Congress members will use the opportunity to put the opposition on mat over the issue of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's recent apology to former Akali minister Bikram Singh Majithia for the drug allegations and subsequent rumblings in the party.

Even as the floor strategy of the main opposition AAP will be cynosure during the budget session, especially after the rise of the dissenting voices within the party following Kejriwal's apology to Majithia, the AAP members exuded confidence to corner the Amarinder Singh government for its alleged failure on all fronts.

"We will be putting up a united show in the budget session... the government will be cornered on several issues, including farmers suicides, farm debt waiver, unemployment and 'goonda tax' and drug trade," AAP senior leader and party MLA Aman Arora said here today.

Rebutting that there was a crisis in the AAP, Arora said "you will see the party members unitedly taking on government in the session".

The Shiromani Akali Dal too has drawn up a strategy to put the government on mat on its alleged failure to fulfil poll promises.

However, Congress MLA Raj Kumar Verka said that the government will present a "historic budget" which will fullfil the aspirations of the people from the Amarinder Singh regime.

He lashed out at the previous SAD-BJP combine government for "destroying" the state.

"People of Punjab have approved the policies and programmes of the Amarinder Singh government. The Congress has won the civic polls in the state by a clear majority," he said.

Meanwhile, the ruling members are prepared to use Kejriwal's apology to snub the AAP and the Sepcial Task Force (STF) "findings" against Majithia to corner the Akalis.

The budget is likely to be presented on March 24, Vidhan Sabha sources said adding that the session will begin with the governor's address tomorrow and likely to end on March 28. - PTI