Budget session opens on stormy note; Cong MLAs enter well of House, stage walkout

Gairsain: The budget session of the Uttarakhand assembly opened on a stormy note on Monday, with Congress legislators raising slogans and entering the well of the House shortly after governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) began his address. Led by leader of the opposition Yashpal Arya, Congress MLAs staged a walkout, with independent MLAs Sanjay Dobhal and Umesh Kumar extending support to the protest.Legislators raised a number of issues in the assembly, including extension of the budget session, disclosure of the VIP's name in the Rishikesh resort case, pending payments to sugarcane farmers, law and order concerns in the state, migration, corruption and unemployment issues.Despite repeated appeals from speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan, the opposition members refused to return to their seats, holding placards and posters. As the governor continued his speech, Congress MLAs shouted "Governor Go Back" before walking out at 11.16am.Criticising the govt's approach Arya said, "They want to run the House on the basis of the number of MLAs rather than in a democratic way." He argued that no time was being given for discussion after the governor's address or the budget presentation. "Without any preparation or reading the documents, how do they expect us to hold any discussion?" he questioned.Six-time Congress MLA Pritam Singh said that the govt was "least interested in running the House". "Only the formalities are being completed and the budget and the governor's address are being held on the same day. It is against tradition and an attempt to give no time to the opposition," he said.Earlier in the day, Congress MLAs staged a protest at the assembly entrance and turned down chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's request to call off the protest.