Opposition ready to take on Govt.

By A.Jayaram

BANGALORE, FEB. 25. The Opposition is poised to give vent to its pent up disenchantment, if not anger, against the S.M.Krishna Government in the pre-Budget session of the two Houses of the Legislature commencing here on Monday.

The Governor, Ms. V.S.Rama Devi, will be addressing the joint session of the two Houses at 11 a.m. It will be her second address after becoming the Governor. Even as she drives in from the Raj Bhavan to the Vidhana Soudha, college teachers protesting against the Government's earlier decision to effect a 15 per cent cut in the grant-in-aid to private aided colleges, will hold a rally in the vicinity of the Vidhana Soudha.

During the coming session, members of the Legislative Council will be transacting business in the cosiness of an airconditioned and renovated House, an issue which has evoked criticism. Hitherto, it was an aircooled House.

The two Houses of the legislature had met last on November 25. The session commencing tomorrow will be spread over 12 days till March 14, according to the tentative programme.

The Opposition has many issues to rile the Government with although the topical one is the cut in the grant-in-aid to aided private colleges. The last word has not been said on it though the State Cabinet has decided against implementing the cut. However, the Government wants the college managements to separate the pre-university sections as had been stipulated in the past. That is another way of cutting the cost of college education as the UGC pay scales implemented in 1996 are applicable only to those teachers working in degree colleges. However, the managements have secured UGC pay scales for all their teachers by running composite institutions and making the teachers handle both the degree and PU courses. The BJP, the main Opposition, has come out fully in support of the teachers' associations.

The acid attack on Ms. Channamma, wife of the former Prime Minister, Mr. H.D.Deve Gowda, is bound to be raised as some of the legislators belonging to both the Janata Dal groups have alleged that there is a hidden hand behind the attack. The issue is also significant as it is for the first time that such an assault on the near relative of a prominent national-level politician has taken place in the State.

The BJP has not yet condoned the former minister, Mr. T.John, who resigned earlier this month for his insensitive utterance on the Gujarat earthquake. It wants him arrested and dealt with under the law, notwithstanding the apology tendered by him.

The Opposition might also pounce on the Government over the issue of the steep increase in power tariff announced by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The consumers who are receiving the monthly bills from the KPTCL have realised that the pinch is harder than the 17 per cent claimed by the Government. Though there is a one-year reprieve for farmers owning irrigation pump sets, they have come to realise that the days of ``free lunches'' are past.

However, the one issue which might see even the ruling partymen join the Opposition is the steep fall in the prices of almost all farm produce, the alleged suicides by some of farmers and the general distress and unrest on the farm front. Although some of the Congress(I) leaders have blamed the NDA Government for not exercising its right to negotiate with the WTO, the Chief Minister has made it clear that India had to remain in that organisation. The alternative was the unthinkable, holding individual trade and tariff negotiations with all the 186 members of the WTO.

The JD groups in particular are upset over the ordinance to remove presidents and vice-presidents of agricultural produce marketing committees by a simple majority.

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Section  : Southern States
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