New Delhi: Delhi Assembly Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi has raised serious concerns over the limited time allocated for discussing the state’s annual budget, accusing the government of trying to avoid transparency. In a letter to Speaker Vijender Gupta, she questioned why only one hour was allotted for deliberations and why the government had failed to present the Economic Survey.
Atishi alleged that the budget’s revenue projections were unreliable and demanded a thorough debate. “Will an Assembly of 70 MLAs spend just an hour discussing the Annual Budget, sandwiched between five other agenda items?” she asked. She pointed out that budget discussions typically span several days, allowing legislators to analyse financial plans and hold the government accountable. “Not only is this discussion and debate important for the legislators, but it is closely watched by the voters of Delhi, and people across the country,” Atishi wrote.
The LoP expressed shock upon receiving the session’s List of Business, claiming it left barely an hour for budget discussions. “Given that the session timing is from 11 am to 5 pm, with one hour spent on ‘Rule 280’, one hour on ‘Questions’ and one hour on the lunch break, that leaves only 3 hours for discussion on the Budget, on the CAG report, a short duration discussion under Rule 55 on water shortage and water logging, a motion under Rule 107, adoption of 2 reports of Assembly Committees, as well as financial papers to be laid down by the Chief Minister,” she explained. She also criticised the government for not tabling the Economic Survey before the budget presentation, calling it a departure from parliamentary norms. Atishi urged the Speaker to allocate the remaining two days of the session solely for budget discussions. “It is your responsibility to ensure the sanctity of parliamentary procedures and ethos,” she wrote.
In response, Speaker Vijender Gupta dismissed Atishi’s claims as “completely baseless and politically motivated.” He clarified that the Business Advisory Committee, which included opposition members, had already scheduled budget discussions for March 26 and 27.