Political uncertainty, which had gripped the State since March 18 when nine dissident Congress MlAs left the Treasury Bench to join hands with the Opposition BJP to demand division of vote on the Appropriation Bill, has given way to a deepening financial crisis.
Financial experts say that if the scenario continues things would come to such a pass when the State Government employees would not get their salary after July 31. “This is because the BJP-led NDA regime had passed vote on account for four months which will end on July 31. The State Budget supposedly passed by the Assembly on the night of March 18 remaining in limbo, financial uncertainty is what staring the State in the face,” says one of the experts.
Talking to The Pioneer, an official said things are indeed grim with uncertainty hanging over the State Budget and the Centre keeping a stony silence on the matter of monumental importance for the State. “The Chief Minister Harish Rawat has been raising hammer and tongs over the Centre deliberately sitting on the State Budget not for nothing. What he claimed that the Assembly, High Court and Supreme Court have pronounced the Budget duly passed can hardly be dismissed. Yet, the cloud is yet to disperse with Centre maintaining a studied silence over what would happen after the period of the vote on account expires,” the senior official said.
Things seem to be moving in the direction of the State Government knocking the judiciary again, seeking an end to the logjam. CM has thrown such hints too. However, another source said that CM might convene Vidhan Sabha session for a day to pass budget of the State for the remaining eight months ie from August 2016 to March 2017 to ease things till the next Assembly
election.
Things are fluid as a section of the CM’s close aides say that the move, if taken in desperation, would send a wrong message. “If such a budget for eight months is passed it means that the appropriation bill supposedly passed by voice vote on March 18 was not constitutionally passed with the Government being reduced to a minority following the exit of nine ruling party MlAs. It automatically signifies that the Harish Rawat Government had fallen that fateful day. It would be far more astute if the CM recommends dissolution of the Assembly to pave way for the next election. But still the question of budget remains. A budget must be passed somehow for the next few months before the election as he would be the care-taker Chief Minister till the election process is over. This is nothing short of a Scylla and Charybdis dilemma for the CM,” said one privy to the CM’s office.
It is learnt that the budget department has prepared two sets of budget, first for the remaining eight months from August to March and second for full nine months ie from July to March. “We are at our wits’ ends as to what to do. But something must be done to ease things for the State,” said an official engaged in preparing the budget.
Besides, another matter keeps hanging in fire. The matter of the nine MlAs’ disqualification has been pending before the Supreme Court. The apex court is slated to hear it out on July 12. Keeping this in view, a constitutional expert said that the CM could not have the House dissolved till the case is disposed of.
In case the apex court revokes the High Court’s ruling of disqualifying the nine dissidents things would go back to the square one. “Maybe, this is why the Centre has chosen to keep its fingers crossed,” said an observer.
All in the State having been kept on tenterhooks with the employees worried over their salaries and the contractors over the release of the funds, they are eagerly waiting for the deadlock to end either by the intervention of the Centre or of the State Government.
Intriguingly, the Rajbhawan has been keeping mum on the matter despite the CM nudging it repeatedly to make clear the status of the budget supposedly passed on March 18.
Another State Government official said that if things continue this way a day would come soon when the State Government would land in bankruptcy. “The day seems to be not far-off when the CM would find it difficult to manage money to use his official cars. This is a frightening scenario for the CM as well as all who are dependent on the State Government directly or indirectly,” said a State watcher.