Srinagar: The government would convene the Budget session of the Assembly in the coming January to meet the constitutional deadline as no full-fledged session has been held in the last six months. Legislative Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta said that the assembly session is scheduled to be held in January.
“We could not hold a full session in Srinagar,” Gupta said. “There was (the GST) issue, and we had to adjourn (the session)… unhon nay galat kiya (they did wrong),” Gupta said, apparently referring to the storm over the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in state.
In June, the government convened a special session of the assembly to discuss the GST Bill. However, the session was terminated due to the uproar caused by the opposition over the new tax regime. Only obituary references were taken up in the one-day session.
Sources in the government said that there was a binding constitutional rule that a session be called within six months. “Usually, the sittings of the bi-cameral house would be held in Srinagar and Jammu, but this year the government called a special one-day assembly on GST and the assembly was adjourned after the law was passed. The two houses were in session for just a few days, that too after the first day’s adjournment,” a senior official said adding, “Now, the session is due in the first week of January, during which the budget too will be presented.”
“The duration of the session will extend from 35 to 40 days,” said the speaker.
