No crisis if budget is passed: Experts

Legal experts don’t see UPA government facing a constitutional crisis ‘at this stage’. But if the government fails to get the Dinesh Trivedi-presented Railway Budget passed by Parliament, the situation could be different.

Contrary to the perception among political leaders that the post-budget letter by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee to prime minister Manmohan Singh, seeking dropping of Trivedi henceforth, has brought the country to the brink of an unprecedented situation, experts feel ‘its an internal matter between the prime minister and a constituent of the ruling alliance.

That the Constitution doesn’t recognise the alliance or internal bickering are some of the key reasons why the present criss-cross in the government can’t be termed a ‘scenario’ wherein it must put in its papers. Of course the situation may be ‘different’ if the UPA government can’t get the budget passed, Subhash Kashyap said. The budget is the ‘property’ of the House, he said. 

“It’s neither the property of a particular constituent of the ruling party nor the ruling party. It’s for Parliament to decide whether it should be approved or not,” he added.

A former attorney general told DNA, “There are bleak chances of the budget being rejected by the opposition. After every budget there are cut motions which are allowed by the government.”
A government can be said to be facing a constitutional crisis only when it is short in numbers and may not be able to muster the requisite strength when its called to seek confidence of the House, or the opposition moves a no-confidence motion against it, he said on condition of anonymity.