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Opposition parties are planning to reach out to dissenting voices within the NDA to mount a stronger attack on the Centre’s Budget proposals. In the Lok Sabha, they plan to move cut motions to the demands for grants, with the most contentious issues being the Finance Bill’s provision to tax 60 per cent of the EPF corpus at the time of withdrawal.
They will also question the alleged “reduction” of budgetary allocation to social welfare schemes such as the rural employment guarantee scheme and the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
A cut motion enables Lok Sabha MPs to oppose a demand in the government’s Finance Bill. If the motion is adopted and the government does not have the numbers, it is obliged to resign.
“In the Rajya Sabha, we can only discuss the Budget. We will give a pointed response to issues such as EPF and allocations to the agriculture sector. But our MPs in the Lok Sabha will challenge the proposals through cut motions,” confirmed Congress MP Rajeev Gowda.
No threat
Though the government is under no threat from these cut motions, the Opposition believes that issues such as EPF will give it a political edge, particularly since NDA allies Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal have also opposed the provision.
The regional parties may support the Opposition, though the Centre has signalled it will reconsider some Budget proposals.
“We have decided to move cut motions on over a dozen issues. This includes the arbitrary decision on EPF and reduction of allocations to welfare schemes,” said CPI(M) MP Mohammed Salim. The Congress has also decided to move cut motions in the Lok Sabha to corner the Centre.
In the Rajya Sabha, though no amendments can be moved, the Opposition plans to make a concerted attack against the Budget proposals.
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