Ranchi, Jan. 17: Governor Droupadi Murmu today upheld the Constitutional tradition by finishing her speech prepared by the state government and approved by the cabinet to start the budget session in the Assembly, despite the JMM staging a walkout when she spoke glowingly of CNT and SPT Act amendments.
But, compared to the rowdy din of the winter session, Day One of the budget session was restrained. Many times in the past, governors have had to abruptly end their speeches, which they are duly bound to make under Article 176 (1) of the Constitution, amid noisy protests by the Opposition.
This time, governor Murmu's speech highlighted the state government's achievements across 79 points.
The JMM walked out when she was on page 21, listing out points 69 to 71 that highlighted how tribals would gain from amendments to tenancy Acts. Some Opposition MLAs interjected during her hour-long speech calling it a "bundle of lies", but Murmu could finish what she had started.
Later, parliamentary affairs minister Saryu Roy said the Opposition had "played a positive role overall" today. "The JMM members did what they were bound to do for their very survival in politics," he said. "The walkout wasn't unconstitutional. Let us hope the entire budget session is peaceful," he added, referring to the session that would continue till February 7.
Asked, Lohardaga MLA and Congress president Sukhdeo Bhagat said the Opposition was "not interested in stalling the business of the Assembly as long as the government gave specific answers to our queries".
At the Assembly's business advisory committee meeting, representatives agreed to bring in adjournment motions in the second half of the working day, so that question and zero hours and other important Assembly business involving issues of public interest , were not disturbed in the first.
It was resolved that the Assembly business would be held on Saturdays too and the duration of debates during the second half of every working day increased by an hour to enable MLAs get more time to speak on issues of public interest.
JVM's Pradip Yadav, however, sounded sceptical when asked on the expected outcome of the session.
"Debates on budgetary demands of five departments, agriculture, rural development, school education and literacy mission, revenue and land reforms and cabinet coordination, will be held on five days. Budgetary demands of all rest 31 departments would be clubbed with cabinet coordination budgetary demands," he explained, implying proceedings would be rushed.
Today, the House was also informed that four bills - Settlement of Accounts Act 2016, State Commission for OBCs (Amendment) Act 2016, Jharkhand VAT (Amendment) Act 2016 and Jharkhand Private Money Lending (Prohibition) Act 2016 - had been approved by the governor and President. These bills had been passed by the House during the last winter session.
The House also condoled the recent deaths of prominent personalities and mishap victims, such as JMM founder member Salkhan Soren, former St Xavier's College principal Father William Surin, former chief ministers J. Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu) and Surjeet Singh Barnala (Punjab), journalist Dilip Padgaonkar, actor Om Puri, victims of the Patna boat capsize and terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir and Assam, the victim of rape and murder victim in Ranchi, among others.
