Hyderabad: The state government invited Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to address the joint session of the Legislature on February 3 as the stalemate between the state government and the Governor over the approval of the state Budget was resolved with the intervention of the High Court, which refused to be drawn into the controversy while advising counsels of the two parties to hold deliberations.
Minister for legislative affairs Vemula Prashanth Reddy, Special Chief
Secretary of finance K. Ramakrishna Rao and legislature secretary V.
Narasimha Charyulu met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan and invited her to address the Budget session of legislature while requesting her to give her approval for introducing Budget in the legislative Assembly and legislative Council. The Governor responded positively, sources said.
Further, the Governor was requested to give approval to prorogue Assembly and Legislative Council to enable commencement of new Assembly session in the new year to facilitate the Governor’s customary address to Legislature for Budget session. The governor agreed to prorogue both the Houses.
The government is reworking the Budget session schedule to accommodate the Governor’s customary address to the joint session of the Legislature.
Sources said the Governor is likely to address the Legislature on February 3, and the Budget is likely to be presented in the House on February 6 or 7 by finance minister T. Harish Rao.
As per earlier plan, the government was supposed to present the Budget on February 3 without the Governor’s address. However, it is now being proposed to have the Governor’s address on February 3, discussion on motion of thanks to the Governor’s address in both the Houses on February 4 or 6, and the Budget presentation on February 6 or 7.
The Governor’s speech will be drafted by the government and will be approved by the Cabinet. It remains to be seen whether the Governor sticks to the speech copy sent by the government or makes changes as Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao earlier alleged that the Governor had included some contents in her speech praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government at the Centre which were not approved by the Cabinet.
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