SRINAGAR: The budget session of Jammu and Kashmir legislature is likely to begin on a stormy note on Tuesday with opposition parties expected to corner the PDP-BJP coalition government on law and order situation in Valley, power crisis, announcement of panchayat polls and developmental issues.
The over month-long budget session of J&K Assembly in Jammu, winter capital of the state, would begin with the Governor N N Vohra’s address to the joint sitting of legislators tomorrow.
The State Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu would present the budget on January 11.
It would be Drabu’s 4th consecutive budget and the first after the implementation of GST regime in the State and country last year.
The opposition parties are expected to corner the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP-BJP government during the budget session.
It would have to be seen whether the opposition legislators allow Governor Vohra’s address to go on smoothly. Last year the opposition members had raised slogans and disrupted Governor’s address to the joint sitting of legislators of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
The opposition parties may corner government on the law and order situation in the Valley, where five CRPF men were killed and three others injured in the fidayeen attack on last day of 2017.
Kashmir witnessed uneasy calm and law and order situation remained mainly under ‘control’ in 2017 after over five-month long unrest and violent street protests in 2016 left 92 civilians dead and thousands of others injured.
The opposition parties are also likely to corner the government over announcement to hold panchayat elections in the State in February without taking separatists on board, gag on government employees for using social media, power crisis in Kashmir, regularisation of daily wagers and developmental issues.
State Congress vice president and MLC Ghulam Nabi Monga told New Indian Express that Congress would be raising pro-people issues in the Assembly session.
“We will raise the issue of law and order in Valley, power crisis, lack of development works in the State and other issues being faced by the people,” he said.
The opposition National Conference and Kashmir-based legislators are also expected to raise the issue of civilian killings in Valley, law and order situation, regularisation of daily wagers and other pro-people issue during the budget session.
Meanwhile, Legislative Assembly speaker Kavinder Gupta has sought the cooperation of political parties for smooth conduct of budget session, which would end on February 10.
He said equal opportunities would be provided to each political party to raise issues of public importance including developmental aspiration of people during the course of the session.