The month-long Jharkhand Assembly session which commenced today is expected to witness robust debates on key issues such as economic development, employment generation, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education, and industrial investment.
On the first day of the session the BJP raised many issues including paper leak, Maiya scheme, poor law and order, matriculation exam paper leak, non-appointment of JPSC chairman.
The Opposition is likely to mount a strong challenge on matters of financial management, unemployment, law and order, and the implementation of welfare schemes. The government, in turn, will seek to counter criticism by highlighting its policy initiatives and developmental projects. With pressing issues on the agenda, the session is poised to be a politically charged affair.
However, the ruling party legislators are on defensive mode. On the first day of the budget session, Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Yadav, former minister and JMM central spokesperson Hemlal Murmu, former finance minister Rameshwar Oraon answered media questions.
On the question of the beneficiaries of the state's Mainiyaan Samman Yojana not getting the amount for January-February, Hemlal Murmu said that no one should worry. The amount of Mainiyaan Samman Yojana will be sent to the beneficiaries' account during the budget session itself.
At the same time, Congress Legislature Party leader Pradeep Yadav said that we all hope that the government will take important decisions on public welfare schemes. Meaningful decisions will be taken on many issues including caste census, increase in OBC reservation. Pradeep Yadav said that all our MLAs are preparing to revive the issues with which we have gone among the public and the issues which are pending today due to the Bharatiya Janata Party. In response to a question on the paper leak case, he said that papers must have been leaked earlier too, but then these things would not have become public. He said that only the names of BJP leaders are coming up in the paper leak case.
At the same time, former Finance Minister of the state and Congress MLA Rameshwar Oraon has expressed hope that the budget session of the Assembly will run peacefully and many works will be done in public interest. He said that the opposition does not need to be too aggressive about the promises made to the public, because the government is bringing the budget on March 03. They should see what comes in the budget.