Oppn, treasury benches spar over debate on transport budget

The opposition and treasury benches in Bihar Assembly today sparred over the grand alliance government giving preference to a debate on the transport department budget instead of health and other departments.
As soon as the Assembly met in the post-lunch session, Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar interrupted Transport Minister Chandrika Rai from introducing his department's budget allocation of Rs 55.76 crore for 2016-17 and urged Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary to ask the state government to table the health department's budget for debate as it served larger public interest.
Kumar slammed the state government for not seeking discussion on the health department budget to shield Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, apparently due to his lack of oratorical skills, a remark that drew strong reaction from the treasury benches.

"It is unfortunate that the health department having a budget of Rs 8,234 crore for 2016-17 will have to be guillotined due to lack of proficiency of the minister concerned," he said.
Amid the din, the Transport Minister introduced his
department's budgetary demands for 2016-17, but the opposition BJP MLAs were insistent on raising issues related to health department with party MLA Vijay Kumar Sinha highlighting about shortage of doctors in his native Lakhisarai district, while speaking on the cut motion introduced by his party.

The three-hour long debate on the transport department's budget took an ugly turn with RJD MLA Shambhu Nath Yadav allegedly threatening BJP MLA Lalbabu Prasad Gupta for making caustic remarks on the Health minister, which drew strong protests from the Opposition benches who demanded an apology by the RJD legislator.

Presiding officer Ram Narayan Mandal adjourned the House for 15 minutes at 2.45 PM, but when it gathered again, the Opposition adopted an unrelenting posture prompting Mandal to again adjourn the House for 30 minutes.
Later, the Speaker intervened in the matter and on his insistence, Shambu Nath Yadav, representing Brahmapur Assembly seat in Buxar district, apologised to the aggrieved BJP MLA.
At the end of the debate on the transport department's budget, the Leader of Opposition led the opposition MLAs in staging a walk out from the House protesting the state government's bid to shield the Health minister by not taking up his department's budget for discussion.

The opposition MLAs did not pay heed to the Speaker's observations that it was not for the first time that health department's budget has not been taken up.
Health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, however, was present in the House throughout the proceedings.