NDA gears up to corner govt during budget session

Patna: The BJP-led NDA is gearing up to keep the Grand Alliance government in the state on its toes during the budget session of the state legislature from February 25 to April 4. The state budget would be presented on February 26.
"We will not let you sit at ease any time, any day during the entire budget session. We will raise issues of public importance on the floors of the state assembly and the legislative council every day," state BJP chief Mangal Pandey said while addressing BJP legislators and workers on Friday.
He also said the Bihar NDA constituents - BJP, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM-S) - would meet next fortnight to plan their strategy on the floor coordination in the two Houses.
They together have 57 members in the 243-member state assembly. The byelection to Harlakhi assembly seat, earlier held by the RLSP, is due on February 13. The BJP legislators and workers had gathered to express solidarity with leader of opposition in the assembly Prem Kumar who on Friday broke his 24-hour fast against crime rise in the state. "The NDA constituents will remain united in the assembly while raising issues of public importance," Kumar said after he was offered juice by Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav.
At least seven BJP legislators and functionaries spoke on the occasion. They were aware of the fact that they had to start an agitation against the Nitish Kumar government so soon without giving a cushion period of 100 days or six months to it.
"Nobody expected the situation in the state to deteriorate so soon, within just two months. Criminal elements have been so much emboldened that people are being killed at will. Engineers and traders have been murdered, but the main accused and the masterminds have not yet been arrested," former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by other NDA functionaries - like BJP's Vinod Narayan Jha and Vinay Singh as well as RLSP working president Lalan Paswan and LJP general secretary Satyanand Sharma, among others.