What were some of the unusual (election- or crisis-related) vote-on-accounts presented in the last few decades?
The defence scam (in a sting operation, BJP leader Bangaru Laxman was captured, on hidden camera accepting a bribe for a defence deal) that rocked India on March 13, 2001, shook Parliament. As Opposition parties demanded the resignation of the ruling NDA government, the passage of the Budget got stalled.
Finally, the Congress and other Opposition parties had agreed to co-operate in passing the vote-on-account and Parliament approved the vote-on-account (allowing the government to withdraw a fixed amount for payment of salaries and other government expenditure from the Consolidated Fund till July) on March 21. Otherwise, the government would have been financially paralyzed from April 1.
Here are some of the others:
The 1980s saw only one vote-on-account presented by R Venkataraman.
The 1990s wree witness to three votes-on-account, reflecting the politically turbulent times:
March 1991: Vote-on-account as Chandrashekhar government falls after Congress withdraws support.
February 1996: Vote-on-account as general elections are called.
February 1998: Vote-on-account as Gujral government falls.
In February 2004, after presenting an interim Budget, finance minister Jaswant Singh presented the vote-on-account, as general elections were called.
Image: The tehelka.com film showing the defence pay-off deal. Inset: BJP leader Bangaru Laxman. | Photograph: Saab Press
Also read: In India you can now charter a train!
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