Indore Municipal Body Passes ₹8k Crore Budget By Voice Vote

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) approved the budget of Rs 8,302 crore for the financial year 2024–25 by voice vote amidst din in the House, with both the ruling BJP and opposition sides raising slogans against each other on Wednesday.

Though Speaker Munnalal Yadav had declared the budget as passed on Tuesday itself, discussion on the same could not be done due to the expulsion of Congress corporators for the day.

Congress corporators' questions were unwelcomed.

Consequently, the IMC council meeting was held on Wednesday for discussion on the budget. The Speaker had accepted six questions from the opposition to be asked in the House, but the BJP corporators did not let the Congress corporators ask the questions.

Mayor-in-Council member Jitu Yadav said that the Congress coporators do not deserve to ask questions on the budget as they were not present in the House when it was tabled by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav.

Leader of the Opposition, Chintu Choukse, replied that they were expelled by the Speaker for the entire day, so it was not out of choice; they did give a miss to the budget speech.

The Speaker clarified that he was forced to expel Congress corporators because they had come with placards inside the House and were showing the same despite his warnings.

Interrupted by 'Modi, Modi' slogans

After that, Congress corporator Fauzia Sheikh Alim stood up to ask her question, but BJP corporators raised “Modi, Modi” slogans, disrupting proceedings in the House.

With tempers growing, the Congress corporator reached the Speaker’s podium to lodge their objection, even as the BJP corporator followed suit. 

The Speaker adjourned the House for five minutes. When the proceedings were resumed, the BJP corporators again started pro-BJP slogans, promoting Congress corporators to again go onto the podium, only to see the BJP side again following suit.

House adjourned thrice due to conflicts

After the Speaker sending the protesting sides to their chair, Mayor intervened and said that the BJP corporators will let Congress corporators to ask questions in the House only when they tender apology for their move to disrupt “condolence speeches” at the beginning of the budget speech on Tuesday.

Objecting to this, Choukse dared to show video of Congress corporators disrupting “condolence speeches” promoting BJP corporators raising slogans asking the opposition to apologize for their act.

To this, Congress and BJP corporators assembled on the podium promoting Yadav to adjourn the House for 10 minutes.

During adjournment, Congress corporators tried to break peace with BJP corporators but to no avail.

When the proceedings were resumed again, the House was adjourned for the third time, this time for five minutes.

After five minutes when the proceedings were restarted, the situation remained the same. After three adjournments and amid total din, the Speaker declared the budget as pass by voice vote.