Uttarakhand assembly budget session starts on positive note

The budget session of the Uttarakhand assembly began on Wednesday on a positive note and Chief Minister Harish Rawat thanked the opposition for allowing the governor to address the house peacefully.

While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators earlier squatted in the corridor of the assembly before the address by Governor K.K. Paul, alleging discrimination in developmental work, they later allowed the governor to address the house.

"We did not want to disrupt proceedings as we wanted to hear out the governor's address which reflected the intent and policies of the Congress-led government," a BJP leader told IANS.

He said the party would, however, like to debate the address for four days before it is passed, as it was "full of blatant lies".

Rawat welcomed the "positive attitude" of the opposition, and said if this continued in the days to come, he will try to bridge differences with them.

"I am very happy at the way the day's proceedings went ahead and would like to assure the BJP legislators that despite policy differences, I would like to ensure that their opinions are also assimilated for smooth running of the house," he said.