Budget Session: Most interesting, awaited of Parliament’s sessions
Parliament discusses threadbare the government’s annual plan, schemes, fiscal goals, tax plans, sops, and the functioning of ministries during the Budget Session
Budget discussions often continued past midnight. On one such occasion when Pranab Mukherjee, who served as finance minister twice, returned to his office in Parliament for a quick bite, he found some lawmakers—tired waiting to speak in the House—sleeping in his room. “I chose not to disturb,” Mukherjee, who went on to become the President, told journalists during an informal interaction.
The marathon, and often argumentative and high-pitched debates are a hallmark of a Budget Session with Lok Sabha members having the power to veto any bill related to government expenditure, revenue, or taxation. But Constitutional provisions that allow the veto power in no way hinder debates in the Rajya Sabha. The upper House also holds discussions on the Budget. Rajya Sabha members are entitled to seek the finance minister’s reply to their queries before the Budget is “referred back” to the Lower House.
The Budget Session is the most interesting of Parliament’s three sittings annually—the other two being monsoon and winter sessions—for lawmakers and observers alike. It is the longest session spanning over five months with a recess.
Parliament discusses threadbare the government’s annual plan, schemes, fiscal goals, tax plans, sops, and the functioning of ministries during the Budget Session. No other session provides the opportunity for such an extensive review of the government’s functioning.
The 2024 Monsoon Session, which began on Monday, is for all practical reasons the one for the Budget. On Tuesday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first full Budget of the third consecutive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government. It would also be the first presentation of a full Budget in the new Parliament building, which became functional last year.
The press gallery usually remains full on Budget day as journalists accredited with Parliament do not want to miss the chance to watch the presentation of the most important annual document of the government. Visitors, including relatives of lawmakers and political functionaries, make it a point to be in Parliament on the day, which starts with the Prime Minister-led Union Cabinet meeting for the final approval of the Budget proposals after a brief discussion.
To maintain secrecy about the Budget, the ministers head to the House soon after the meeting. “The meeting is usually short; for 15-20 minutes. There is no additional agenda,” said a government official, who has been part of such meetings.
Before the Cabinet meeting, finance ministers carrying the Budget document pose for the cameras as part of a long-standing custom.
The Opposition, too, waits eagerly for the Budget speech, the sops, new schemes, and how they meet the national and regional aspirations. There have been instances of walkouts at the fag end of the Budget speech in protest against issues such as no relief for the poor or the middle class. A witty former minister summed this up saying: “Budget unites the House, policies divide it.”