Budget promises to be a litmus test for Prithviraj Chavan

The state budget for the year 2012-13, which will be presented in the state legislature assembly and the council on Monday, will be a litmus test for chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, with even the Congress MLAs already warning him of a protest in case an “unfair budget gives greater preference to constituencies held by NCP leaders as compared to Congmen”. The budget will be presented by deputy CM and finance minister Ajit Pawar.

In the backdrop of the soured equations between the Congress and NCP post-zilla parishad polls, there is simmering discontent in the Congress over NCP “betraying their trust”. A senior Congress minister said on the condition of anonymity, “The chief minister will have a lot to explain if the fate of the proposals sent to finance minister is not up to our expectations. Last year, the budget was one-sided, with the NCP walking away with almost 65% funds and leaving just 35% for the Congress. Also, a majority of the portfolios held by NCP got greater financial aid as compared to the Congress.”

The finance minister has already indicated that he is not going to be generous in allocation of funds in the wake of economic slowdown and the negative growth in agriculture and industrial sector. Aggression on part of union minister for science and technology Vilasrao Deshmukh and former CM Ashok Chavan against NCP’s highhandedness could only help polarise the forces within the Congress against the chief minister, if he fails to heed the budgetary demands of his party’s elected members and ministers.