In 1990, the budget was passed in a day during the regime of Mulayam Singh Yadav. But this is the first time the government came with a proposal to conclude the session in nine sittings, and it was approved by the Business Advisory Committee of the House.

At 4 pm on Thursday, Speaker Sukhdeo Rajbhar called a meeting of the committee and placed the revised agenda before it, which was adopted.

The committee decided that there will be no Question Hour and Zero Hour on Friday. The debate on 94 budgetary grants is all set to be dispensed with and the budget will be passed by the House without any debate.

The budget session had commenced on February 10 and was to end on February 27. Interestingly, on Thursday, the Speaker had also announced the schedule of the sittings of the House till February 27.

As per the agenda approved by the committee prior to the commencement of the session, the budget was to be presented on February 13. Later it was advanced to February 10.

“The rules of procedure and conduct of business of the Legislative Assembly 1958,” provide for four days’ debate on the Motion of Thanks on Governor’s address, five days’ general debate on budget and 24 sittings to consider and pass the total 94 budgetary grants of different departments.

The Opposition parties charged that the government, fearing opposition, has cut short the session.

“The agenda of the House till February 27, approved by the Business Advisory Committee, itself suggested that there will be no time for general debate on the budget, budgetary grants and motion of thanks to the Governor’s address. It also confirms our apprehensions that the government wanted to get the budget passed without any debate in the House,” said senior Samajwadi Party leader Ambika Chowdhary.

“If the government was so short of time, then instead of the budget, it should have sought a vote on account of three months for 2009-10 and present the annual budget in June after the Lok Sabha polls are over.”