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Govt seeks voice vote to pass budget

The Bharatiya Janata Party, heading India's ruling coalition, has proposed that the 2001-02 Union Budget be passed by a voice vote on Thursday after an uproar over an arms bribery scandal prevented parliamentary debate on the bill.

"We have told the government that the budget should be passed (by the lower house of Parliament) by a voice vote on Thursday," BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said on Wednesday.

The budget, which contains key measures to usher in India's so-called second generation of reforms, seeks to simplify labour laws, streamline the tax structure and press ahead with privatisation of state-run firms.

The speaker of the lower house, G M C Balayogi, has called an all-party meeting later on Wednesday where the proposal was expected to be discussed.

The meeting was also expected to consider a plan to cut the current session of parliament short by 10 days and end it on April 27.

Local media reported that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior cabinet colleagues had decided late on Tuesday to end the session of Parliament early.

Debate on the 2001-02 (April-March) budget has been put on hold by the standoff over the arms bribery scandal that stalled parliamentary proceedings for a second day in a row on Wednesday.

The scandal, which erupted after news Web site tehelka.com screened secretly-filmed footage showing officials accepting cash to swing a fictitious arms deal, also paralysed Parliament for eight days last month.

The budget, unveiled on February 28, must be passed before mid-May because of constitutional rules.

Last month, the lower house of Parliament approved a bill allowing the government to continue spending beyond the end of the 2000-01 financial year until the budget was passed.

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