Rajasthan Assembly Budget Session: 9,800 Questions from MLAs, Notably None from Ashok Gehlot or Vasundhara Raje
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Synopsis
In the recent Budget session of the Rajasthan Assembly, a staggering 9,800 questions were submitted by MLAs, yet notable senior leaders like Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje did not contribute any. The session was marked by a lack of engagement from these prominent figures amidst significant legislative activity.
Key Takeaways
- 9,800 questions were received from MLAs.
- Senior leaders like Ashok Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje did not ask any questions.
- Only 10 out of 14 bills were passed during the session.
- Rajasthan Assembly aims for a paperless system with iPads.
- The Assembly chamber was redesigned in pink.
Jaipur, March 28 (NationPress) In the recently concluded Budget session of the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, 9,800 questions were posed by MLAs, yet ten senior legislators, including Ashok Gehlot, Vasundhara Raje, and Sachin Pilot, did not submit any inquiries. Gehlot and Raje allegedly skipped all 20 meetings of their respective parties during this session.
The budget session of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, which began on January 31, was adjourned indefinitely on Thursday. Throughout this session, the state government presented 14 bills, of which only 10 were passed.
Among the participating MLAs, 36 (21.55 percent) reached the threshold of 100 questions, while 131 MLAs (78.45 percent) fell short of this limit. Fourteen MLAs did not ask even 10 questions.
Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, when asked about the absence of inquiries from former Chief Minister Gehlot and former Deputy CM Pilot, remarked, 'They are seasoned politicians and might have chosen not to ask questions to give younger members a chance.' He also noted that the BJP veteran leader, Vasundhara Raje, similarly did not raise any questions.
BJP state spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj justified Raje's lack of questions, stating, 'As a senior BJP leader, former Union Minister, and two-time Chief Minister of Rajasthan, she may be content with the government's performance, which could explain her silence.'
Another BJP spokesperson, Pankaj Meena, criticized Congress leaders, saying, 'It is regrettable to see Congress members turning the House into a battleground while their senior leaders prefer to address crucial issues on social media rather than in the Assembly.'
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma also recently targeted Gehlot, accusing him of prioritizing social media over Assembly discussions.
During a farmers' conference in Bikaner, CM Sharma remarked, 'The former Chief Minister did not attend the Assembly even for a single day, yet he remains very active on Twitter.'
On Monday, March 24, at 8:26 p.m., Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani adjourned the third session of the 16th Legislative Assembly indefinitely. Devnani emphasized that this session transitioned to a paperless system, with iPads introduced for legislative work. The Assembly chamber was also redesigned in pink, reflecting Jaipur's iconic Pink City aesthetic.
The budget estimates for the 2025-26 fiscal year were presented on February 19, 2025. Unlike previous sessions, an extra day was allocated for general debate, totaling five days, with 96 MLAs participating.
On February 27, the Deputy Chief Minister addressed the debate on the revised budget. Of the 64 demands for grants across various departments, discussions were scheduled for 17 of them over eight days.
The Assembly received 4,319 cut proposals on these demands, of which 3,789 were discussed, while 530 were rejected.
