NDA unites in House for financial business, but Oppn continues boycott

After Tuesday’s episode in the second half, when the ruling JD(U) members also stayed away from the House, the treasury benches presented a united look, with Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha also communicating through chits with chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The Bihar Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed the current fiscal’s first supplementary budget of ₹43,995.23 crore with a voice vote and held a debate on the education department’s demand for ₹12013.86 crore, but without the participation of the entire Opposition, which stayed away over the issue of the new Agnipath scheme for short service recruitment into armed forces.

Opposition legislators demonstrate in front of the chamber of Bihar Assembly speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha on Wednesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

The Monsoon session ends Thursday.

After Tuesday’s episode in the second half, when the ruling JD(U) members also stayed away from the House, the treasury benches presented a united look, with Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha also communicating through chits with chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Akhtarul Imam, the lone member of the AIMIM in the Legislative Assembly after the desertion of four party MLAs to the RJD earlier on Wednesday, entered the House later as the lone presence in the Opposition benches and was greeted by the members of the treasury benches.

“Perhaps it is Imam’s sensitivity to education that has drawn him to the House. I was expecting the Opposition to participate in the debate on the budgetary demand of education. Unfortunately, they have shown no interest in as important a topic as education and the scene here is disappointing despite requests from the Chair as well as the chief minister. The House looks desolate without the Opposition,” said education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who also holds the portfolio of parliamentary affairs.

In an apparent dig at the Opposition, Choudhary said, “Whoever distances from education never succeeds in life... After all, education gets the biggest share of over 20% of the state budget and it is top on the Nitish Kumar government’s priority. Now spending on education is called investment and we are striving to regain the state’s lost glory in the field.”

Choudhary said that after more than four decades, the department had taken concrete steps for improvement in the madrasa education, including recent cabinet nod to three long-pending rules concerning recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff, formation of management committees and the constitution of Madarsa Shiksha Board with clearly laid down rights and duties.