Lok Sabha adjourned, passage of budgets stalled

Wednesday, April 21, 1999 : Passage of the Union and Railway budgets was stalled in the Lok Sabha today as agitated members of ruling BJP and its allies forced adjournment of the house disrupting proceedings over allegations of "horse trading" by Congress in its bid to form an alternative government. The Lok Sabha was adjourned four times during the day without transacting any business as slogan shouting ruling coalition members led by K. Yerrannaidu (TDP) and Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) repeatedly stormed the well preventing the house from taking up any business, reports PTI. Following a directive from President K. R. Narayanan, the house was scheduled to pass the two budgets as also finance and appropriation bills to avert any constitutional crisis in the wake of the fall of the Vajpayee government. An all-party meeting convened by speaker G. M. C. Balayogi on Monday had arrived at a consensus to pass these pending financial business of the house without discussion today. But when the house assembled for the day, it witnessed acrimonious scenes as the entire BJP was on its feet shouting slogans against the Congress for resorting to horse trading, by allegedly wooing a TDP member. The Finance Bill giving effect to taxation proposals has to be passed before May 13, within the mandatory 75 days of the presentation of the budget, as otherwise the tax proposals lapse thus creating a financial mess. The Lok Sabha is to meet again tomorrow to consider the passage of the budgets and relevant appropriation bills.

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