The BJP government’s hurried move to secure approval for supplementary budget estimates of Rs 3,500 crore without a debate, could snowball into a major controversy if the Congress decides to rake up the issue when the Assembly reconvenes on Monday. On Friday, the Opposition had stated a dharna in the House against the passage of the bill and had withdrawn the dharna after the Speaker’s office presented to them a CD containing the proceedings when the estimates were approved. Sources claimed that the recording of the proceedings has only details of the Congress objecting to the passage of the bill without a discussion but there is no evidence of the government introducing the bill.
The party is undecided don the course of action it should adopt on Monday, said the sources. When party leaders held a meeting with the Speaker on Friday night, he had appealed to them not to make an issue out of it and had assured them that all their queries would be answered on Monday. When contacted, KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar said that Opposition leader Siddaramaiah will take a call on the issue. “The government has passed the supplementary estimates without placing the Action Taken Report (ATR) in the House. It is unprecedented for any government to do this. We may have to debate this,’’ he added.