Real opposition on budget to come from Senate

ISLAMABAD: The opposition has pinned all of its hopes for taking on budget proposals with the Dr Wasim Shehzad-led opposition parliamentary party of Senate in the absence of real opposition in the National Assembly (NA). Raja Riaz Ahmad leader of official opposition in the National Assembly will open debate on the next year’s fiscal budget in the House today (Monday). It would be his maiden address in the NA in his capacity as leader of opposition.

Raja Riaz, a dissident of the PTI, is a hardworking political worker but his acumen as an orator has yet to be put in test in the National Assembly. It is understood that he isn’t a scholarly person and he is hopeful of getting the ruling PMLN ticket in next general elections from Faisalabad. He is a known critic of Imran Khan and wouldn’t deliver a hostile speech against the government while opening the debate on budget.

Well-placed parliamentary sources told The News here Sunday that Raja Riaz Ahmad has been burning his midnight oil for preparation of the “careful” opening address on budget. He doesn’t want to deliver a harsh speech on the occasion but it should not look like an address by a compromised leader of opposition.

While criticising budget proposals, at the same time he would appreciate some features of the budget of upcoming year. It would be interesting to listen and watching the “Leader of opposition roaring” in the House, the sources pointed out. He has urged that leader of the House the prime minister should be present in the NA when he will speak on budget as per tradition.

Shehbaz Sharif has reluctantly decided to oblige him. Raja played an important role during the move for no trust against deposed prime minister Imran Khan. The Senate debate on budget would be opened by Dr Wasim Shehzad, leader of opposition today (Monday) and it is likely that the debate in the upper house of the Parliament would be lively.

Interestingly government and opposition keep on entangled in quarrel on most of the subjects coming under discussion in the House. The Senate has limited say in the passage of budget but it would transmit its recommendations to the NA for consideration. The proposals are transmitted to the NA within fourteen days of the receipt of budget proposals.

It has been observed that most of the time the recommendations of the Senate in budget proposals are inserted in the final document of the budget. The NA will have discussion to condemn BJP leaders’ recent blasphemy. The proposal for the discussion was presented by federal minister and former speaker of the NA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq last week and the House accepted it.