Congress Stages Symbolic Protest as Rajasthan Budget Session Commences
The Budget Session of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly kicked off on Wednesday in Jaipur, marked by intense political drama and opposition criticism. Congress legislators launched a symbolic protest ahead of Governor Haribhau Bagde's address, setting a confrontational tone for the parliamentary proceedings.
Symbolic March with Spades and Brooms
Led by Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully and Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra, Congress MLAs marched to the gates of the Vidhan Sabha carrying spades, baskets, and brooms. Party leaders explained that these props symbolised allegations of corruption against the government and its purported attempt to dilute the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by replacing it with the VB-G RAM G Act.
The protest occurred shortly before Governor Bagde addressed the House at 11 AM, highlighting the opposition's readiness to challenge the government's narrative from the outset.
Sharp Critique of Governor's Address
Reacting to the Governor's speech, Jully described it as "disappointing and directionless," asserting that it failed to reflect ground realities. "To praise itself, the government committed the sin of making the Governor read out falsehoods. The address is an attempt to hide the government's failures rather than present an honest assessment," he stated at a subsequent press conference.
Jully emphasised that the government's claims sharply contrasted with the actual situation on multiple fronts:
- Examinations: While the Governor's address asserted there were no paper leaks, Jully pointed out its silence on OMR sheet irregularities that emerged just before the session. "This silence is playing with the future of the youth," he remarked.
- Sports, Education, and Employment: He criticised unfulfilled promises, citing huge vacancies in school posts, stalled sports infrastructure projects, and cuts in welfare schemes.
- Agriculture: Jully accused the government of ignoring farmer distress, highlighting fertiliser shortages, pending crop compensation, and unannounced power cuts in rural areas.
Questioning Economic Narratives
Congress chief whip Rafeek Khan questioned the government's economic narrative, stating that the address made "lofty claims" on investment without corresponding delivery. "The government talks about MoUs worth Rs 35 lakh crore, but work began on only Rs 8 lakh crore. The rest remains on paper," he argued, underscoring a gap between announcements and implementation.
Opposition Plans Detailed Debate
Congress leaders announced that the Governor's address would be debated threadbare in the coming days. They warned that the opposition would systematically counter what they termed exaggerated claims with factual evidence during Assembly discussions, promising a rigorous examination of the government's performance.
The session's opening day thus set the stage for a potentially contentious legislative period, with the opposition firmly positioning itself to challenge the ruling dispensation on multiple policy and governance issues.
