All eyes will be on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as she presents her eighth budget on February 1. With expectations riding high, the annual most awaited event will set the tone for the rest of the parliament session. The opposition parties may try to corner the government on issues related to price rises, farmers, and deaths in Kumbh, among others.
The highlight of the budget session beginning on January 31 with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to both houses of the parliament will be the tabling of the JPC report on the Waqf Bill after which the government may bring in a fresh bill.
The JPC submitted its report to Lok Sabha on Thursday. The opposition members moved 44 amendments to the proposed bill but all of them were rejected. The JPC adopted the report on the draft legislation by a 15-11 majority vote accepting 14 amendments moved by the ruling party members. The opposition members submitted dissent notes to the report arguing that the bill was an attack on the constitutional rights of the Muslim community and interference in the functioning of Waqf boards.
The budget session will be conducted in two parts with the first one running from January 31 to February 13. The second part will be held from March 10 to April 4. During this break, meetings of the standing committees will be held. Another JPC on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill will also hold its meetings.
The government had called an all-party meeting to discuss the agenda for the parliament where the opposition members said they would raise issues related to farmers and deaths in Kumbh. They argued ordinary pilgrims faced inconvenience during Maha Kumbh due to VIP movements.
There are several bills pending in the Lok Sabha which may be taken up for discussion. The government will also bring new legislation during the session.
Among the pending bills were the ST representation Goa Bill; the Waqf (Amendment) Bill; the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill; the Coastal Shipping Bill the Merchant Shipping Bill and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Bill.
The new bills to be introduced in the Budget session will the Protection of Interest in Aircraft Objects Bill, the Immigration and Foreigners Bill and bill renaming the Institute of Rural Management, Anand as Tribhuvan Sahkari University.
The two key discussions during the session would be a motion of thanks to the President’s Address and discussion on the Finance Bill after the presentation of the budget.
