*Representational Picture Courtesy and Credit ddnews.gov.in

With ex-CM Babulal Marandi as BJP leader, the forthcoming month-long budget session of the Jharkhand Assembly beginning from February 28 is expected to be stormy.

BJP led by Babulal is going to raise the state government led by CM Hemant Soren's reported move to rollback the 'Mukhya Mantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana' (MMKAY).

The BJP will also raise the issue of reports that another welfare scheme might be withdrawn by the JMM- Congress-RJD coalition government led by Hemant Soren, a BJP leader said.

More,a spurt in Naxalite violence incidents will also be highlighted during the session, it is learnt.

In 81-member Assembly, BJP has 25 MLAs.Incidentally, the MMKAY was launched by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on August 10 last year.

The MMKAY, a flagship scheme of the previous Raghubar Das government, helped farmers get a maximum of Rs 25,000 - Rs 5,000 per acre with the upper limit being five acres - per annum in addition to Centre's Rs 6,000 per annum under the Kisan yojana.

However, due to financial crunch, Soren government is learnt to be 'not keen' to continue the MMKAY. On February 9, BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh had expressed concern over the Soren government's move while the BJP's state unit spokesman Pratul Shahdeo had said that his party would protest if the farmer-friendly scheme was scrapped.

The BJP's decision to highlight these issues comes after Marandi's announcement on Tuesday that his party JVM will merge with the BJP. Incidentally, JVM was floated by Marandih nearly 4 years ago after quitting the BJP.

Officially, the merger ceremony will take place at Jagannath Maidan on February 17 in the presence of BJPs former president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and BJP vice-president Om Prakash Mathur.

JVM had three MLAs.Marandi himself and Bandhu Tirkey and Pradeep Yadav. Other than himself, Tirkey and Yadav had opted for the Congress and as such, they were expelled from JVM. As a result, Marandi will be the lone MLA of the JVM to join the BJP.

As per official information, the JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in Jharkhand will present the state budget for fiscal 2020-21 in the House on March 3.

This will be the first full budget to be presented by the coalition government after it assumed power in the state on December 29 last year, ousting the BJP-led regime.

 

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