PATNA: All
opposition parties in Bihar on Sunday threatened to boycott the forthcoming
budget session of the state assembly and gherao the residences of chief minister and both deputy CMs, if it is shortened to just three or four days in the name of covid-19 pandemic.
“We, all allies of the opposition’s
Mahagathbandhan, demand that the assembly’s Budget session must be held for around one-and-a-half months in its traditional way. If the session is held in its traditional way, it is okay. And, if the session is shortened to just three or four days, the opposition parties will not only boycott the assembly session but also gherao the residences of CM
Nitish Kumar and both deputy CMs,” the leader of opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said on Sunday after having a joint meeting with senior leaders of all allies of the Mahagathbandhan.
Besides Tejashwi, the RJD’s state president Jagdanand, Congress state president Madan Mohan Jha, CPI-ML leaders Mehboob Alam, Dhirendra Jha and Kunal, CPI’s Rambabu Kumar and CPM’s Arun Mishra attended the joint meeting of the Mahagathbandhan, held at the residence of former CM Rabri Devi at 10, Circular Road here.
Talking to reporters soon after the meeting, Tejashwi disclosed that the assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha had invited him to the assembly on Saturday to take the opinion of the leader of opposition on the state government’s move to shorten the forthcoming Budget session to just three or four days in the name of covid-19 pandemic.
“Now, when the schools and colleges have been re-opened. All offices are re-opened. Almost everything is back on the track. Steps are being taken to shorten the Budget session to just three or four days in order to prohibit the MLAs from raising questions against the shortcomings of the state government,” Tejashwi said.
“When the biggest problem (Covid-19) is before us, you don’t want the Vidhan Sabha to function for a longer period,” Tejashwi said without taking the name of any politician of ruling NDA alliance.
Tejashwi also said that the alibi behind shortening the Budget session is being given that the vaccine for covid-19 would reach the state by March. “What an MLA will do during the vaccination exercise. It will be better if the assembly remains in session during the vaccination exercise so that the MLAs can raise questions in the house if there are any shortcomings on the part of the administration during the vaccination exercise,” the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad said.
Tejashwi also said that supporters and workers of all opposition parties in Bihar would form a human chain on Martyr Day on January 30 in support of the ongoing farmers’ agitation near the national capital.
“The joint meeting of the Mahagathbandhan also decided to ask the CM Nitish Kumar to pass a unanimous resolution from the
Bihar assembly in support of the farmers’ agitation and their demands,” the CPI-ML leader in the assembly and Balrampur MLA Mehboob Alam told TOI over phone.