Disruption continued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in the Lok Sabha last month as opposition parties adopted an aggressive approach in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
This is expected to continue in the budget session starting on Monday. From the series of train accidents to the NEET exam, the opposition has aimed to stall the government on issues ranging from terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
The upcoming session will be a real litmus test for the successful functioning of the new Lok Sabha, as the first session that began in June was a brief one.
Opposition leaders plan to discuss their options. Earlier, an all-party meeting will be held ahead of the parliamentary session on Sunday.
It will list the topics that the opposition parties want to discuss in the House and also bring up the issue of the election of the Deputy Speaker.
Sources said that while the budget to be presented on Tuesday will be the focus of the three-week session scheduled to end on August 12, the Congress-led opposition wants to use the floor of the House to discuss unemployment.
They further said that the ongoing crisis in Manipur, an issue that sparked strong protests in the first session, will reverberate in the coming session.
Days after visiting the violence-hit state on July 8, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said the Congress and the All India Alliance would raise the demand for peace in Manipur “with full force in Parliament” to pressure the government.
Read in English: As Budget Session begins tomorrow, how Opposition is preparing to outflank govt
Also, during the sector-related debate on the budget, the opposition parties may want to focus on education and railways.
The panel led by the Speaker included PP Chaudhary, Nishikant Dubey, Partruhari Mahtab, Anurag Thakur, Sanjay Jaiswal and Baijayant Panda (BJP), Lau Sri Krishna Devarayalu (Telugu Desam Party); Dileshwar Kamaid (JD-United); Gaurav Gogoi and Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress); Sudip Bandopadhyay (Trinamool Congress); Dayanidhi Maran (DMK); Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-UPD); and Lalji Verma (Samajwadi Party). There are
Although the opposition is armed with a range of issues to grill the government, the ruling party expects rivals to allow Parliament to run smoothly.
Commenting on this, Nishikant Dubey told The Read, “Traditionally and generally, the budget session is only to discuss the budget, it has not been derailed. Budget is very important and without it the country cannot function. So, I expect the opposition parties to be constructive and pass the budget without confusion,” he said.
Congress MP Manikam Thakur said, “We all expect the voices of the opposition parties to be heard. We do not want to be disturbed by ruling benches; We are ready to discuss people's issues. We want the session to be very productive,” he said.
Meanwhile, opposition sources said there would be efforts to “give concern” to the ruling coalition. Opposition parties had demanded to discuss the NEET debacle in the first session as well, but the request was not allowed.
It was also said that MPs from Manipur should be allowed to speak during the debate on the motion of thanks.
In the absence of Rajya Sabha and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) strength for the BJP, it is the ally that has bailed out the government on many contentious issues in the last 10 years.
Meanwhile, apart from the Finance Bill, the government has listed six bills for this session, including the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidayak, 2024, to replace the Aviation Act, 1934, to promote “ease of doing business” in the civil aviation sector.
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