BJP boycotts budget session

Opposition BJP today boycotted the budget speech of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in protest against his "derogatory and insulting" remarks against P K Dhumal and other party workers.
Singh, who also holds the finance portfolio, delivered the 17th budget, second during his present term, and opposition benches were empty when he read out his speech.
BJP members drove from Chaura maidan to the Assembly on two-wheelers to highlight the "transportation of apples" on such vehicles and accused the Chief Minister of making "derogatory and insulting" remarks, provoking the members to continue their protest.
Accusing Singh of "deliberately" provoking the BJP members, Leader of the Opposition Dhumal said how could they listen to the speech of a person who was "humiliating and insulting" them time and again.

Dhumal described the budget for 2014-15 as a plethora announcements aimed at wooing the electorate for Lok Sabha polls and said the people would not be misguided by it.
The former Chief Minister expressed concern over the growing fiscal deficit, which he said was likely to cross 5 per cent of GSDP and said most of the announcements and schemes were repetition of earlier schemes.
BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt said the budget was "directionless" and as it is silent on strategies to check price rise, generate employment and contain inflation.
The Chief Minister had yesterday lashed out at opposition BJP for disrupting the proceedings of the Assembly, and called Dhumal "mean".