Stormy Budget Session likely as Govt, Opposition lock horns

The Budget Session is likely to witness increased acrimony between the Treasury and the Opposition benches as it comes in the backdrop of continued protest by the Opposition on VB-G RAM-G Act and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a confident BJP-led NDA with recently local body wins in Kerala and Mumbai.

At an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, the principal Opposition party, the Congress flayed the Government for failing to circulate the legislative agenda for the Budget session of Parliament. Other Opposition members, including John Brittas of the CPI(M), too objected to the non-circulation of government business for the session. Ministers present at the meeting said the agenda will be circulated in due course. The session begins on Wednesday.

“This is the first session of the year. Normally, the list of Government business is shared after the President’s address. However, I am prepared to share the list; I have told officers to do it,” said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. He was speaking after the all-party meeting.

Meanwhile, the Government has rejected the Opposition’s demands for discussions on the VB-G

RAM-G Act and the SIR in the Budget session. Rijiju said the two issues had already been debated by both Houses.“Once a law is before the nation, we have to follow it. We cannot reverse the gear and go back,” he said. He added that issues raised by Opposition MPs can be raised during debate on the President’s address and the Budget.

The first part of the session will focus on debate on the Motion of Thanks and discussion on the Union Budget. While the first part of the session will begin on Wednesday with the address of President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the Union Budget will be presented on February 1, a Sunday. The first part of the session will continue till February 13 during which the Motion of Thanks will be discussed and passed. A discussion on the Union Budget will also be taken up.After a recess, the Houses will reconvene on March 9 and the session will conclude on April 2.