Expecting SC to determine budget date is asking for moon: KTS Tulsi

A day after the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking postponement of the budget session, senior advocate K.T.S Tulsi has said the apex does not have the authority to determine the schedule of the presentation, as decision to determine the date falls on the prerogative of the Parliament.

"The Supreme Court cannot determine the business of Parliament. That is entirely prerogative of the Parliament itself. Therefore, to expect the Supreme Court to interfere with the schedule of the Parliament is asking for the moon," Tulsi told ANI.

The apex court yesterday rejected lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma's plea seeking postponement of Union Budget to March due to the ensuing assembly elections that is to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand next month.

Sharma in his plea stated that the people would face a lot of problems due to the upcoming assembly elections in these five states.

The opposition had also sought the same, arguing that the budget announcement would allure the voters and influence voting thereby leading to unfair elections.

The Union Budget will now be announced on February 1, as had been decided by the government.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has ordered that no state specific schemes shall be announced in the national budget to keep the elections free and fair.

"It may be ensured that in the budget speech the government's achievements in respect of five poll-bound states will not be highlighted," the release stated.

The government has also called for an all-party meeting on January 30 ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament.