More acrimony likely as Parliament opens
Monsoon session of Parliament starts with Nirmala Sitharaman set to table Union Budget. Opposition to raise issues on exams, price rise, unemployment.
The Monsoon session of Parliament will begin on Monday, with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to table the first Union Budget of the third Narendra Modi-led central government a day later, even as the Opposition prepares to corner the Centre on a range of issues, including the fiasco surrounding public examinations, price rise, unemployment and railway safety.
The session is slated to end on August 12, with 16 sittings scheduled in that time. Sitharaman will table the 2023-24 Economic Survey on Monday.
And while the session will largely be focused on the Budget document being passed, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has listed six new bills to be introduced, including the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said he looked forward to a constructive Parliament session.
“As we prepare for the Budget Session, it’s clear that running Parliament smoothly is a collective responsibility. Our combined efforts & dedication will ensure that we address the nation’s needs effectively. Looking forward to a constructive session & meaningful discussions!” he said in a post on X after a customary all-party meeting ahead of the session on Sunday afternoon.
During the meeting, Rijiju said the Monsoon sitting will be devoted largely to financial matters. However, he added: “essential legislative and other business will also be taken up during the session.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the all-party meeting, told the participants that “the government is ready to discuss all issues raised in the meeting as per the rules of the House.”
He also sought the Opposition’s cooperation, but stressed that the “sanctity of Parliament should always be maintained.”
Officials said 55 leaders were present in the meeting, though leaders of Opposition in both Houses, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and Trinamool Congress floor leaders skipped the meeting.
All eyes will, largely, be on the Budget.
Sitharaman presented an interim budget on February 1 this year, months ahead of the general elections, with an eye on fiscal prudence, as she announced a significant increase in capital expenditure, and continued the Centre’s government’s emphasis on welfare, especially targeting the poor, women, the young, and farmers.
Indeed, the NDA budgets, under Prime Minister Modi have been characterised by fiscal prudence and capital spending.
Last year’s Budget too announced a planned ₹10 lakh crore expense on capex, without any major cut in the spending of major ministries or any sharp hikes in tax rates.
It will also be the first full Parliament session since the 2024 general elections. The BJP won 240 of the Lok Sabha’s 543 seats and had to lean on its allies to form the government for a third straight term. This was in contrast to the party’s performance in 2014 and 2019 polls, when it stormed to power with 272 and 303 MPs respectively.
The sitting is hence likely to see the acrimony of the first session of Parliament, held from June 24, spill over, with the energised Opposition benches likely to spar with the Centre over a string of issues. The opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will demand debates over alleged irregularities in and postponements of a raft of public examinations, including the NEET-UG, NEET-PG, UGC-NET and CSIR-UGC-NET, apart
The Opposition has also demanded, including during Sunday’s all-party meeting, that they be given the Lok Sabha deputy speaker’s position – a role that was vacant in the last Lok Sabha.
During the special Lok Sabha session, the Opposition put up a candidate against NDA’s Om Birla after they failed to get an assurance from the government on deputy speaker. Birla was, however, reelected to the position.
At the meeting, the Congress was represented by Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Pramod Tiwari.
Ramesh, in a post on X, also said the party will look to discuss the “internal security situation in Jammu and Manipur”, “challenges on our borders with China”, “environmental concerns”, “issues related to Centre-state relations and economy” and the passage of “unconstitutional orders in states like UP”, the latter a purported reference to the diktat requiring owners of eateries along Kanwar Yatra routes to display their names.
The order has caused a firestorm across the country, drawing criticism from several political parties, including some of the BJP’s allies.
Some parties are also likely to demand special category status for their states. Indeed, during Sunday’s meeting, the Janata Dal (United), which runs a coalition government with the BJP in Bihar, sought special status for the eastern state, even as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) demanded the same for Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, respectively.
JD(U) working president and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Jha said if giving special category state status is not possible, then Bihar should be given a special package. “Special category status for the state has been our stand since the beginning...if that is not possible then a special package should be announced.”
The BJD’s Rajya Sabha leader Sasmit Patra told media persons after the meeting that “Odisha has been deprived of the special category status for more than two decades.”
“The Biju Janata Dal has been demanding special category status. States such as Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have also raised the demand,” he said.
The government will introduce the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024, to replace the Aircraft Act of 1934 and provide enabling provisions to push the ease of doing business in the civil aviation sector.
Other bills listed for introduction and passage during the session are the Boilers Bill to replace the pre-Independence era law, the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill and the Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill.