Thiruvananthapuram: The Budget Session of the Kerala Assembly that will continue till March 30 will begin on Monday (Jan 23). The session will begin with the policy address of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. Finance Minister K N Balagopal will present his third budget on February 3.
There will be no session on Tuesday. Even though the House has to function on Wednesday according to the present agenda, the Business Advisory Committee that will convene tomorrow will decide to cancel the session for that day.
The motion of thanks for the Governor’s address will be moved on February 1, to be followed by the debate on it.
The Assembly that will continue functioning till February 10, will resume the session on February 27 and it will be prorogued after passing the budget before March 30. Thus it will be the longest session of the House calendar.
The business of the House will be totally dedicated to issues pertaining to the Budget.
If passing of any legislation is needed, the Business Advisory Committee will meet and include it in the agenda.
As the Budget is being presented a year ahead of the Lok Sabha election the Finance Minister may seek to raise the maximum revenue. The hike in water tariff just ahead of the Budget is a pointer.
Political activities to cast a shadow
A slew of upcoming political developments are set to influence the Assembly schedule and proceedings. The conduct of major parties will be with an eye on the General Election in the summer of 2024.
The CPM’s Kerala Jatha led by State secretary M V Govindan will take place during the session of the Assembly.
The Assembly won't be in session from January 25 to 31 as Congress leaders from Kerala are scheduled to attend the concluding function of the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi, MP, in Kashmir.
The heat of political activities such as the house visit programme of the Congress, padayatras, and the CPM’s agitations against the Centre will be reflected in the Assembly.
It will be keenly watched how Governor Arif Mohammed Khan goes about delivering his policy address. Chances of protests against the Governor cannot be ruled out. The meeting of the legislature party of the United Democratic Front on Monday will take a decision on the issue.
The Opposition will be eager to stage protests during the Budget presentation and the subsequent debate. A number of hot issues such as the buffer zone, police nexus with the underworld, alleged links between the drug mafia and CPM leaders, and the new-found affinity of the Left Democratic Front towards private universities could be used by the Opposition as sticks to beat the Government.
The ruling front will seek to capitalise on the disputes in the Congress, especially the latter's stands on Shasi Tharoor, MP, who is eyeing the CM's chair as well as a police investigation into the death of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee treasurer.
