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United Nations, May 6 (IANS) The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has pulled up Pakistan and asked tough questions concerning the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam at its closed session amid the escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, reports said.

The members slammed Islamabad and questioned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba’s involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people.

Though Pakistan claimed that the meeting largely served and achieved the objectives of the UNSC’s meeting, reports showed that it flopped miserably.

In the meeting, which was called at the request of Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, he claimed that his country was not involved in the terror attack.

Though the session was a closed consultation and had no official records, the UNSC members called for dialogue and restraint to resolve the issues.

After the meeting on Monday, UNSC President Evangelos Sekeris told reporters, “The Security Council is always helpful in such efforts” to de-escalate. It is the responsibility of the Council. It was a productive and helpful meeting. Since the meeting was a closed consultation, its proceedings are secret without official records.”

Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari, who briefed the meeting, said all want de-escalation. Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva, who attended the meeting, said, “We hope for de-escalation”.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation was at a “boiling point” and asked the two countries to “step back from the brink”.

“It is also essential — especially at this critical hour — to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control,” he said.

Condemning “strongly” the terrorist massacre of 26 people in Pahalgam last month, he said, “I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack”.

Notably, The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack, in which 25 Indians and one Nepalese national were killed.

–IANS

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New Delhi, March 28 (IANS) Amid pandemonium in Delhi Assembly on Friday, Speaker Vijender Gupta condemned the ‘organised disruption’ of the House by legislators of the Opposition AAP which, he claimed, is as part of a ‘strategy’ to escape discussions on thorny issues. However, former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said that they were demanding answers on the Rs 2,500 monthly dole for Delhi women.

Speaker Gupta’s observation came during the fag end of the Question Hour and just before a House discussion on the CAG report on the functioning of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) even as almost all AAP legislators were suspended from the proceeding and marshalled out for creating a ruckus.

“This is ‘organised disruption’ of the House and I know why they are doing it. They do not want to take part in discussion on the CAG report,” he said and claimed that there was a pattern in the Opposition MLAs’ habit of violating decorum and disturbing the proceedings to invite suspension.

“I will not allow any indiscipline. If they don’t follow instructions they will be suspended,” said an angry Speaker.

Leader of Opposition Atishi and over a dozen AAP legislators, including Jarnail Singh, Vishesh Ravi, Som Dutt, Virender Kadian, were marshalled out for speaking out of turn, shouting despite the Chair’s warning and distributing pamphlets in the House.

After being marshalled out, Atish told reporters that the Opposition MLAs were thrown out of the House for demanding answers on the Rs 2,500 monthly dole for Delhi women.

“Delhi women have been cheated by the BJP as Rs 2,500 have not landed in the bank accounts. When our legislator sought the deadline for implementing the scheme, our members were sent out of the House one after the other,” she said.

BJP legislator Abhey Verma said the Opposition was creating din in the House to avoid a discussion on the central government auditor’s report on the functioning of the DTC.

“Former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will have to face trial and go to jail for corruption and even the public money wasted by the AAP government will be recovered,”

Manjinder Singh Sirsa slammed the childish behaviour of AAP MLAs, including Atishi, alleging that they have thrown all parliamentary convention to the winds.

“They start laughing and clapping without reason and create disruptions,” said Sirsa, urging the Speaker to lay down a system to prevent such frivolous disruptions in the House proceedings.

–IANS

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New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) The five-day Budget session of the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party government will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday with a kheer ceremony, according to officials aware of the matter.

The first day of the session is likely to witness the tabling of a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Delhi Transport Corporation for 2024, they said.

However, there was no confirmation if the economic survey will be tabled in the House on the first day.

On Monday, the government has also invited representatives of various communities such as farmers and traders, suggestions from whom were sought to be included in the Budget.

According to the list of business, the House will begin with a Question Hour, and will be followed by Special Mention (Rule-280) under which MLAs will raise matters related to their constituencies and in general affecting the people of Delhi with the permission of the Chair.

On Tuesday, the second of the day of the session, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the Finance portfolio, will table the BJP government’s first Budget, which is likely to be titled “Viksit Delhi”.

Akin to the name, Delhi Budget 2025-26 is likely to focus on infrastructure development, cleaning of the Yamuna, and tackling air pollution, with provisions for health and education sectors, among others, according to people aware of the matter.

It is also expected to include financial provisions for the Rs 2,500 monthly allowance the BJP had promised for women before the Assembly elections.

After the Budget presentation, a general discussion will take place on March 26 (Wednesday) to analyse financial allocations and policy initiatives. The Assembly will deliberate and vote on the proposed Budget on March 27 (Thursday), Speaker Vijender Gupta said.

The Assembly will then deliberate and vote on the Budget on March 27 (Thursday). The session is set to run till March 28 during which the House will take up various legislative businesses.

“The Budget Session is a crucial period in the legislative calendar, during which key financial and policy matters will be discussed and decided upon. The session is tentatively scheduled to run from March 24 to March 28, 2025, with provisions for extension if required,” Speaker Gupta added.

Each of the five days will include the Question Hour. On the last day, MLAs will be allowed to introduce and debate their proposals on governance and public welfare.

Speaker Gupta stressed on the importance of maintaining decorum to ensure that the session is successful.

According to BJP leaders, Budget 2025-26 has been made with suggestions received from the people of Delhi.

“We received 3,303 suggestions on email and 6,982 WhatsApp messages. We have carefully considered all those suggestions,” CM Rekha Gupta said.

“We have paid attention to all the needs of the common man such as water and electricity as well as women empowerment. This budget will also focus on solutions to water logging concerns, cleaning of the river Yamuna, tackling air pollution, education, health, employment and infrastructure development. It fulfils Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Delhi,” CM Gupta said.

Apart from the Budget, the Assembly will also focus on a CAG report on DTC — titled “Functioning of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)” — the Delhi Assembly has witnessed tabling of two other CAG reports on health infrastructure and excise policies last month.

The tabling of 14 of such reports, that have been pending since as long as 2017-2018, was a poll promise made by the BJP ahead of the February 8 Assembly elections.

The BJP has consistently accused the former AAP government of not tabling these reports, claiming that the party was trying to hide “irregularities committed under its rule in different departments in Delhi government”.

The last Delhi Budget was presented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in March last year with an allocation of Rs 76,000 crore. The then Finance Minister Atishi had presented the Delhi budget 2024 on the theme “Ram Rajya”.

–IANS

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