May add to or omit portions from Budget session address: Dhankhar

The state Cabinet on Monday had ratified a draft of the Governor’s speech at the start of the Budget session on February 7 and sent it to him. However sources said the Governor is not too pleased with the draft sent by the state government.

“And even if there are different points of view, that cannot take us to a level of confrontation. That is, (we have) to be accommodative of each other’s point of view, keeping only one thing in mind — rule of law, Indian Constitution and welfare of the state, its people, and its development,” Dhankhar said.

The state Budget session begins with the Governor’s speech. With the Governor being at loggerheads with the state government, the latter has taken a softer approach towards Dhankhar.

Over the last few days, ministers and top bureaucrats have visited the Raj Bhavan to hold discussions with the Governor on his speech and finance Bill.

State Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee called on the Governor twice whereas state Finance and Industry Minister Amit Mitra has also met him once.

Sources said the Governor has asked the state government to show him the Finance Bill before he could give his assent to it. Traditionally, the Governor gives his assent to the Finance Bill to be tabled in the Assembly. With Dhankhar wanting otherwise, the state government has made it clear to him that it cannot show him the Finance Bill before it gets tabled in the Assembly.

Sources in the state secretariat said that the government has agreed to show the important sections of the Finance Bill to the Governor, but the latter has demanded that the entire content of the Bill be made available to him. The Finance Bill is slated to be tabled in the state Assembly on February 10.