Opposition votes out business agenda

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, MARCH 19. Maharashtra's ruling eight-party Democratic Front today suffered the embarrassment of the Bharatiya Janata Party- Shiv Sena voting out the business agenda drafted and approved by the Business Advisory Committee from which it had stayed away last week and objecting to the agenda's leak to the media on Friday. Even if the ruling DF abstained from ``participating in the poll'', the Opposition carried the day.

It may be recalled that the Opposition had protested the disruption of the legislature for the whole of last week - often being adjourned within less than two minutes of being called to order - and described it as a constitutional failure and urged the Governor to sack the Government. When ``business already decided upon was disrupted, where is the need to plan new business'' was the refrain of the Opposition, and boycotted the Friday meeting of the BAC. Despite urgings to the contrary, citing that all conventions and time-tested traditions required that the BAC's approved agenda be left untouched, the Speaker, Mr. Arun Gujarathi agreed to a division which led to a scramble to get the MLAs in as the division bell peeled. When they all trooped in, there were not enough MLAs to counter the Opposition move and a desperate treasury tried to again disrupt the House; many walked into the well shouting pro-Vidarbha and anti-Vajpayee slogans.

The Speaker, having asked that the lobbies be cleared, found himself in a piquant situation where he could not adjourn the House, because the voting had to be gone through and for nearly 14 minutes after the doors were shut, he kept pleading with members to cooperate as he had to go through with the voting.

After several minutes of a huddle, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister, rose and told the Speaker that ``we do not intend to question or disrespect your ruling to poll the House but we have decided not to participate in it.'' Following this, Opposition members got up, unable to squirm out of the situation. The business advisory committee was later called to rework a new agenda.

This development had an echo in the Legislative Council which was adjourned several times, the Opposition out to squeeze the last drop out of the development to embarrass the treasury benches. When the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Rohidas Patil was in the Assembly dealing with the situation, the Opposition raised cain and wanted the Leader of the House, Mr. Chagan Bhujbal to be present as well.

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