Growing demand for Modi govt to postpone Union Budget post Assembly elections

The opposition has asked the EC and the President to reverse the decision. They also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that the Union Budget was defying the model code of conduct framed by the EC.

By: News Desk |
January 4, 2017 3:21 pm

Moments after the Election Commission (EC) announced the dates of the upcoming assembly elections in five states, the opposition parties have demanded that the Annual Union Budget must be postponed and presented after March 11, once the elections are completely over.

The opposition parties slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that the Union Budget was defying the model code of conduct framed by the EC.

The opposition has urged the EC and the President to reverse the decision. They also quoted an instance from the past where Congress-led UPA government had presented the 2007 and 2012 polls after the state election results were out. In addition, the fairness of presenting the budget on February 1 is put under questions as elections to Punjab and Goa is scheduled to be held on February 4.

On January 3, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs decided to conduct the first phase of the Parliamentary budget session from January 31 to February 9, instead of last week of February.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief Sitaram Yechury termed the union budget as a “bad idea”. In a social media post he mentioned,”This is bound to present a misleading picture of India’s GDP growth rate which is bound to be revised heavily later on.”

We think that an ‘early’ Annual Budget is a bad idea, and it is being advanced for petty political reasons. https://t.co/msTB2wvV88 pic.twitter.com/97zubGzOvD

— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) January 4, 2017

Apart from CPI(M), Aam Aadmi Party has also condemned the presentation of the Budget on February 1.
On the other hand, the Congress, Janata Dal (united), Samajwadi Party and others have written to President Pranab Mukherjee for reversal of the decision. Yogendra Yadav from Swaraj Abhiyan also questioned the presentation of the Union Budget.

Will Union Budget be presented just 3 days before Punjab, Goa polls? Fair?
Has EC revised the position it has taken for last two decades? https://t.co/bhgYAEuyK3

— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) January 4, 2017

On January 4, the EC announced the dates for the upcoming state assembly elections to five states, which are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand, and Goa. The EC addressed a press conference in the presence of Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and declare the list of dates while revealing the last date of filing nominations, and dates of voting.