Pondy CM to present budget on March 12

PONDICHERRY, MARCH 7. The Chief Minister, Mr. P. Shanmugham, who is also holding the finance portfolio, will present the budget for 2001- 2002 in the Territorial Assembly on March 12 when the session begins with an address by the Lt. Governor.

This will be the third budget (including the interim budget presented immediately after the Congress(I)-TMC coalition Ministry was formed in March last year) the Chief Minister would present.

Significant developments have taken place between the last brief winter session and the present session of the Assembly.

The most important development is the dropping of Mr. P. Kannan as PWD Minister by Mr. Shanmugham on December 10.

The withdrawal of support by Mr. Kannan and three other legislators - Mr. S. Manohar, Mr. A. Elumalai and Mr. K. Rajasekara Odayar - to the Government was another development.

The notification issued by the Speaker on December 25 disqualifying the three legislators (Mr. Manohar, Mr. Elumalai and Mr. Rajasekra Odayar) was set aside by the Madras High court when the members challenged the notification.

The restoration of office of Deputy Speaker to Mr. Odayar was another development in the swift events.

The current seat-sharing exercise running into rough weather with the Congress, heading the `secular front' government, sticking to its stand that its number one position would never be given up adds to complexity of the political situation in the Union Territory.

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Section  : Southern States
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