In a first of its kind scenario, perhaps in the entire country, the Jagan government in Andhra Pradesh is now left in a peculiar situation of not able to draw money from the consolidated fund even to pay salaries to the employees from July 1.
Reason: the state legislative council was adjourned sine die on Wednesday without passing the appropriation bill which is essential for the state government to spend the government funds as per budgetary allocations.
Though the assembly passed the appropriation bill in the morning, the council failed to take it up for approval due to bitter arguments between the YSRC members and the opposition Telugu Desam Party on which bills should be discussed first.
While the state government insisted that the three capitals bill and APCRDA repeal bill be taken up first and the appropriation bill at the end, the TDP members argued that the appropriation bill be taken up for discussion first.
The YSRC members were apprehensive that if the appropriation bill was passed first, the council chairman, a TDP man, might adjourn the house sine die, so that the three capitals bill will be kept pending again.
As the YSRC was firm on passing the three capitals bills first and refusing to take up the appropriation bill, deputy chairman Reddy Subrahmanyam asked Ramakrishnudu to take up the discussion under Rule 90 of the legislative procedures to reject the two bills pertaining to the three capitals.
This led to a chaos in the council and at the end, Subrahmanyam abruptly adjourn the council sine die, without passing any bill including the mandatory appropriation bill, leaving the government in a shock.
It remains to be seen what the government will do now – whether it will promulgate another ordinance to draw funds or get a legal opinion to find a way out.
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