The Hemant Soren government tabled its second annual budget, this time for Rs 7323 crore, in the Assembly on Monday amid protests from both ruling and Opposition MLAs on various issues.
Amid the pandemonium, state finance minister Rameshwar Oraon presented the supplementary budget in the second half of the day before the House was adjourned at 2 pm. The first supplementary budget of Rs 2584.83 crore for the ongoing fiscal year was tabled during last year’s brief monsoon session in September.
The supplementary demand for grants for 2020-21 fiscal included Rs 996 crore for rural development, Rs 269 crore for urban development, Rs 352 crore for water resources, Rs 226 crore for agriculture, Rs 181 crore for women and child development.
Members of the Opposition BJP protesting outside the state Assembly in Ranchi on Monday. Manob Chowdhury
Before the start of the day's proceedings at 11am, MLAs of the ruling Congress and RJD staged protests against the BJP-led government at the Centre, accusing it of looting people by successive hikes in fuel and LPG prices. Several MLAs stood with empty cylinders, held banners and posters to denounce the Narendra Modi government for putting crores of people under financial stress.
Congress MLA from Mahagama Dipika Pandey Singh said, “We have been fighting against the steep rise in fuel prices for several weeks through protests, demonstrations and by raising our voices in state Assemblies and Parliament. At a time when Covid-19 has led to financial distress , such hikes only compound people's woes. How can the government be so insensitive?.”
BJP MLAs protested against the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in the state, accusing it of duping job-seekers by scrapping the recruitment policy. They also highlighted growing lawlessness in the state.
Minutes after the House commenced, BJP MLA fom Chandankyari Amar Bauri moved a work adjournment motion demanding a discussion on issues concerning the state. Accusing the Hemant government of political vendetta, he said the recruitment policy devised by the previous BJP government had reserved class III and IV jobs for locals for 10 years.
“However, the state government scrapped it, citing objections raised by high court. But it must answer why it went to Supreme Court in the first place to defend it and suddenly took a U-turn putting the fate of thousands of job seekers in the lurch?,” he said.
Soon, all BJP MLAs walked into the Well of the House and raised slogans, forcing speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto to adjourn the House till 12.30pm. Similar scenes prevailed after the House resumed till it was finally adjourned at 2pm.
