
Guwahati, Jan. 31: The four-day Assembly session, the last before Assam goes to polls in April-May, is likely to begin on a stormy note tomorrow with the Opposition gearing up to attack the government for its "failure" on all fronts.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the vote-on-account budget tomorrow. Vote-on-account is a special provision to ensure that there is enough money at the government's disposal to run the administration till a full budget is presented, which will be possible only after the next government is formed.
AIUDF legislator Abdur Rahim Khan today said they would raise the issue of largescale misappropriation of minority development funds and corruption in the Wakf Board in the Assembly. He said they would stage a dharna at Dispur Last Gate if the state government does not amend the Assam Venture Educational Institutions (Provincialisation of Services) Act.
Khan said the inordinate delay by the government in amending the act has held up provincialisaiton of a large number of venture schools in the state. Privately managed non-aided schools are called venture schools while provincialised educational institutions are those which are aided by the state government.
"Despite giving assurances, the government could not amend the act in the last Assembly session. If they fail to do it in this session, we will stage a dharna," Khan said.
He said they would also corner the government on other burning problems like flood and erosion, big dams, deterioration in law and order, insurgency and lack of infrastructure development, among others. "We will also demand providing government jobs according to the population pattern," Khan said.
He alleged the government has failed on all fronts.
AGP Legislature Party leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury said they would question the government on its failure to fulfill most of the assurances made in the Assembly in the past five years. "There has been rampant corruption in the state. The state government has not released central funds it had received under the 13th and 14th Finance Commission to panchayati raj institutions. We will raise these issues in the House."
The Opposition MLAs are also likely to disrupt governor P.B. Acharya's address tomorrow. Assembly principal secretary Mrigendra Kumar Deka said so far they have notices for introduction of three bills in this session.
The bills are Sri Sri Maa Kamakhya Devalaya Management Bill, 2016, The Assam Tea Plantations Provident Fund and Pension Fund and Deposit-Linked Insurance Fund Scheme (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and The Assam Repealing Bill, 2016.
An official source said the management bill aims to bring the Kamakhya temple under government control.
"After the bill is passed in the Assembly, the legislation will govern the administration of the temple as it is done in Tirupati temple. Under this law, an autonomous body will be formed with an IAS officer as the member secretary and members from different sections of society, which will be empowered to control and administer the temple," the source added.
At present, the temple is run by the Bordeuri Samaj, comprising the families of priests.