Pondy CM presents vote-on-account

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Saturday presented vote-on-account in the Assembly for 2019-2020 earmarking Rs 2,703.63 crore to government departments, amid a protest by opposition parties.

The assembly reconvened by Speaker V Vaithilingam adjourned sine die after passing the vote-on-account bill and transacting other scheduled business.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy presented the vote-on-account even as all the 14 legislators belonging to the opposition- AINRC (seven), AIADMK (four) and three nominated members belonging to the BJP- protested the government's decision not to present a full-fledged budget.

The Bill passed amid opposition protest earmarked Rs 2,703.63 crore to the government departments to meet their expenditure from the consolidated fund in the next five months for fiscal 2019-2020.

 

The opposition members rushed towards the Speaker's podium to protest the presentation of the vote-on-account. They squatted on the floor in the well of the House.

Noisy scenes were witnessed in the House and later members of AINRC and AIADMK and the nominated legislators staged a walkout.

Former chief minister and Leader of the Opposition N Rangasamy criticised the Chief Minister and his colleagues for making "meaningless charges against the Lt Governor" without addressing the issues of the people.

He said there was also an "amusing scenario of the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues sitting on a dharna outside the Raj Nivas for days together recently to criticise the Lt Governor (Kiran Bedi)."

The AINRC leader also questioned the conduct of the session (the first in 2019) without the customary address by the Lt Governor.

AIADMK Legislature wing leader A Anbalagan asked the Chief Minister as to what "he had achieved" by staging the six-day dharna from February 13 outside the Lt Governor's residence.

Earlier, the Speaker referred to the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 following which the members observed two minutes silence in the memory of the martyrs.

The speaker also made obituary references to former Defence Minister George Fernandez, former DMK Legislator Seetha Vedanayam and Tamil scholar Prabanjan, who died recently.