Cong ready to floor State govt

GANDHINAGAR, June 28: The BJP Government, led by Keshubhai Patel, completes 115 days on Monday, the day the Assembly sits for a month-long b...

GANDHINAGAR, June 28: The BJP Government, led by Keshubhai Patel, completes 115 days on Monday, the day the Assembly sits for a month-long budget session. And the government8217;s apparent non-performance has provided enough ammunition to the main Opposition Congress for the session.

The Congress, supported by the RJP, Janata Dal and SP, besides Independents, is raring to go whole hog to corner the Government on the contentious issues of spiralling edible oil prices, the failure to handle the cyclone-related measures, indefinite strike by teachers and deteriorating law and order situation. The Congress is all set to use it to bring the Government to knees and extract political mileage during the session.

The government is plagued with problems not only from outside but within. A section of his ministerial colleagues are reportedly unhappy with the 8220;autocratic8221; style of functioning of the Chief Minister, while some BJP MLAs, particularly from Saurashtra, are sore over the way the government has been tackling the post-cyclone measures and the groundnut oil price rise.

Prompted by government8217;s failure on all fronts, Leader of Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary has already declared: 8220;My party will bring a no-confidence motion against the Government during the sessionquot;.

The government finds itself in a Catch-22 position on the sky rocketting prices of groundnut oil as well as teachers8217; State-wide strike which has paralysed teaching in secondary and higher secondary schools. The stand off between irrepressible Civil Supplies Minister Jaspal Singh and the Chief Minister over the oil price rise is expected to provide an added edge to the Opposition when the issue will be debated.

8220;Singh may have honest intentions to curb the rising prices of groundnut oil and Minister of State for Education Anandiben Patel, herself a teacher, may be wanting an immediate solution to the teachers8217; stir. But, it is Keshubhai who is a stumbling block in both the ministers8217; efforts, for he has concentrated all powers in his hands8221;, former RJP chief minister Dilip Parikh points out, adding 8220;the four-member RJP group will join hands with the Congress in cornering the government8221;.

Talking to Express Newsline, Chaudhary and Parikh allege the Government has lost the political will to govern, with loots, robberies, murders, kidnappings and rapes increasing alarmingly and spralling prices of essential commodities making the common man8217;s life most miserable. Worse, the government miserably failed to prevent a huge loss of lives and properties caused by the cylcone that devastated the coastal Kutch and Saurashtra on June 9. 8220;We will expose the BJP regime on this score8221;, Chaudhary said.

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On the other hand, the BJP has chalked out a fool-proof strategy to counter the onslaught. 8220;We are capable enough to counter any move by the Opposition to embarass the government. We will also make a mockery of a Congress gameplan to bring a no-trust motion since the BJP is much ahead in the number game, enjoying a majority of 117 members in the 182-member House8221;, Industries Minister and second-in-command in the Keshubhai ministry Sureshbhai Metha told Express Newsline after a BJP meeting this evening.

The agenda for the session includes Gujarat Panchayat Amendement Bill, 1998, seeking more rights for tribals as recommended by the Bhuriya Committee, will be introduced, while Gujarat State Guarantee Amendment Bill, seeking to raise the guarantee from Rs 800 crore to Rs 1,100 crore will be moved.

On the first day, the House will be adjourned after mourning former members8217; death. Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala will present the budget for 1998-99 on Tuesday and a four-day debate on the budget begin on July 6. A 14-day dicussion of the budgetary demands commences on July 10.