Government replies to Election Commission on budget issue

Government on Tuesday replied to the Election Commission on the opposition complaint against presenting the Union Budget before Assembly elections, defending its decision to advance the budget session for the purpose. The Cabinet Secretariat on Tuesday wrote to the Election Commission which had asked it to respond to a representation by opposition parties urging the poll panel to make the government postpone the budget till assembly polls are over.

The government is learnt to have described the Union Budget as an annual constitutional exercise covering the entire country and not just a few states.