*Bringing up contentious issues may result in chaos
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 2: The first budget session of the Legislative Assembly in seven years is set to commence tomorrow with an address from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at 10 AM. The session will also include tributes to five distinguished individuals who have passed away in the last four months, including former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather will announce the names of the Chairpersons.
Sinha is scheduled to speak to the Assembly members at 10 AM in the Central Hall of Legislature. This marks the inaugural budget session of the Omar Government, although it will be the Lieutenant Governor’s second address to the Legislature, following his speech in Srinagar on November 4, 2024, during the brief first session of the Omar Government.
Despite assurances from all political parties, including the main opposition groups—BJP and PDP—during an All Party Meeting with the Speaker for smooth proceedings, there are hints that PDP, People’s Conference, and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), who collectively hold five MLAs, might raise controversial topics, provoking counterclaims from the BJP.
“This may lead to chaos,” insiders from these parties have warned. The BJP has already indicated it will not allow any form of anti-national agenda within the House.
The Central Hall of Legislature has been adorned for the LG’s address, marking the occasion after a seven-year hiatus in Jammu. This time, however, only 88 MLAs will be present to hear the address, as the 36-member Legislative Council that existed in 2018 has been dissolved. The 90-member Assembly currently has two vacant seats.
According to the Schedule of Business released by the Assembly Secretariat, the Lieutenant Governor will address the House in the Central Hall at 10 AM.
The MLAs will convene half an hour after the address in the Assembly complex. The Speaker will place a copy of the LG’s address on the table of the House and will also announce the names of the Panel of Chairpersons.
The Assembly will observe an obituary reference for five individuals, including Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister, Syed Ghulam Hussain Geelani, former Minister, Shamsher Singh Manhas, former Rajya Sabha member, Ghulam Hassan Parrey, and Choudhary Piara Singh, former MLAs.
Debates on the LG’s address will take place on March 4, 5, and 6, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah responding to the debate on March 6. On March 7, Omar, who also oversees the Finance Department, will present his first budget in the House.
This will be the first time in seven years that the budget for Jammu and Kashmir is announced in the Assembly, with the last budget being presented on January 11, 2018, by then Finance Minister Dr. Haseeb Drabu during the PDP-BJP coalition Government led by Mehbooba Mufti.
Omar previously held the Home and General Administrative Department among other responsibilities during his earlier term as Chief Minister from 2009 to 2014 in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The last five budgets were presented and approved by Parliament due to the absence of a Legislative Assembly in J&K, with Governor Satya Pal Malik’s State Administrative Council approving the budget for 2019-2020 following the PDP-BJP Government’s collapse in June 2018.
The Chief Minister has completed the budgetary exercise with various stakeholders, including industry representatives, MLAs, DDC chairpersons, and government departments, and the Finance Department is now finalizing the budget.
The budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year was presented in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23, 2024, amounting to Rs 1,18,728 crore. An interim budget (Vote-on-Account) for the UT was also considered on February 5, 2024, in Parliament with the Lok Sabha elections in view.
The 2023-24 budget for Jammu and Kashmir was similarly set at Rs 1,18,500 crore. The Union Finance Ministry has allocated approximately Rs 41,000 crore in central assistance to Jammu and Kashmir for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which is Rs 1,277 crore less than the current year’s budget for 2024-25.
