The Puducherry Assembly today passed the crucial Appropriation Bill with three nominated MLAs being allowed to attend the proceedings of the House, meeting a condition laid down by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi while clearing it.
The standoff between Bedi and the Congress government ended as the nominated MLAs took part in the assembly proceedings and in a late night tweet the Lt Governor said she had given her assent to the bill passed by the House.
Bedi had on July 21 said she was giving nod for tabling the bill with the condition that the nominated MLAs be allowed to attend the assembly as directed by the Supreme Court.
The nominated legislators, V Saminathan, K G Shankar and S Selvaganapthy, all BJP functionaries, attended the session after Speaker V Vaithilingam gave them permission through separate letters yesterday.
Bedi tweeted that she as the Administrator of the Union Territory "accorded assent" to the Appropriation Bill passed earlier in the day, adding "this settles any uncertainty of government expenditure ahead."
In the assembly, after the bill tabled by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy was adopted, the government whip raised a point of order and tabled a resolution stating that the nominated legislators had no right to vote on any matter in the House.
Objecting to the resolution,AINRC MLAs Ashok Anand and N S J Jayabalstaged a walk and AIADMK members registered their protest.
The Congress government had opposed the appointment of the three BJP functionaries as MLAs by the Centre on the ground it was not consulted.
Though Bedi had inducted them as MLAs on July 4 last year in the Raj Nivas, Speaker Vaithilingam refused to recognise them as legislators, saying they were not nominated by the competent authority.
The Supreme Court, while refusing to stay a Madras High Court order upholding their nomination, had on July 19 asked the Assembly speaker to allow the three to function as MLAs.
Earlier, when Narayanasamy tabled the bill, AIADMK MLA A Anbalagan alleged the Congress government had displayed its "weakness" by not being able to present the Appropriation Bill on July 18 when it was scheduled to be tabled for adoption.
He also charged the Lt Governor with 'delaying' her consent to the introduction of the Bill on July 18 and making a 'mockery' of the assembly.
"The turf warbetween the Lt Governor and the government has cast a slur on the Assembly and crippled routine working of the government," he alleged.
Responding to this, the Chief Minister said the bill sent for Bedi's clearance for introduction was retained in her office till July 19.
Narayanasamy further said he had received a letter on July 21 from Bedi conveying her approval with the condition that the three MLAs be permitted to attend the proceedings as per the interim order of the Supreme court.
Claiming that Bedi has no authority whatsoever to lay down any condition while giving her approval for the Bill, the Chief Minister said he had forwarded to the Union Home Ministry, the copy of a letter he had written to the Lt Governor in this regard.
The session was reconvened today for tabling and adopting the Appropriation Bill 2018, which meant adoption of the Rs 7,635 crore budget the Chief Minister had presented on July 2.
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