Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to defer the declaration of the General as well Rail budget saying that UP would be deprived of special packages as announced during budgets.
“The Election Commission of India, through its letter January 23, 2017, has directed the Union government not to declare special schemes for five states going to polls in February and March during its budget speech, as it would be violating the Model Code of Conduct,” Yadav wrote in his letter on Wednesday.
The CM reasoned that this meant that UP, which is the largest state demographically, will be deprived of special schemes and projects which the Union government might announce during its General and Rail budgets.
“This would be affect development of the state and would be detrimental to the interest of over 20 crore people of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
The CM also reminded the PM Minister that in 2012, the then Union government had postponed presentation of Union Budget in view of the state elections. The budget papers were presented after the elections were over.
“You being a representative from Uttar Pradesh, I appeal you to defer presentation of the Union General as well as Rail budgets so that the state can also get new projects which it is entitled for,” he said.
Earlier, BSP chief Mayawati had welcomed the Election Commission order that no scheme related to five poll-bound states could be announced in the Union budget and had said that the Centre should follow the directive honestly.
The Election Commission had given its nod to the Centre to present the Union budget on February 1 ahead of the Assembly polls, but said that no schemes related to these poll-bound states could be announced and the Finance Minister’s speech should not refer to the government’s achievements in these states.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea seeking postponement of Union budget presentation ahead of the Assembly polls in five states, saying that there was no illustration that it would influence voters.