Parliament's Budget Session to begin today: All you need to know

New Delhi: The Budget Session of the Parliament will begin on Wednesday in what will be the final sitting during the current Lok Sabha’s tenure, which marks an unprecedented record of not electing a Deputy Speaker.

This will be the first time that a Lok Sabha will be wrapping up its tenure without a Deputy Speaker, a post mandated under Article 93 of the Constitution along with Speaker.

At one point of time, there were reports about Prime Minister Narendra Modi keen on offering the Deputy Speaker’s post to Naveen Patnaik-led BJD, but the Odisha Chief Minister had all along been reluctant to be directly associated with the ruling party BJP after snapping ties with it in 2009.

Starting with the address of the President to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the first such occasion after Parliament started functioning from the new building, the session will set the tone for the 2024 elections in which Modi is seeking a third term.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the interim budget – which she earlier said will not have big announcements –while a discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address will start on Friday. After the Prime Minister’s replies in both Houses, a general debate on the budget is likely to take place.

At the customary all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of the session, the government sought the cooperation of all parties in the smooth conduct of proceedings.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi described the interaction as “very cordial” and said the government was ready to discuss every issue during the brief session.

Congress Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Pramod Tiwari said that he raised the issue of "violent attack and state government's curbs on Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam as well as the misuse of central agencies to target opposition leaders like Hemant Soren and Lalu Prasad".

The session comes against the backdrop of suspension of 146 MPs during the last Winter Session over demands for a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah on Parliament security breach. The issue will have its resonance during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

CPI’s Sandosh Kumar P raised the issue during the all-party meeting asking the government whether they would come out with a statement on the issue, which they “declined last time due to an adamant stand”.

Leaders from DMK, CPI(M), CPI, Muslim League and Kerala Congress (Mani) demanded a discussion on threats to secularism in the country. CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareem said communalism is rising in the country and there is a need for the Parliament to discuss this threat while CPI’s Sandosh Kumar P said it is not for the government to construct religious institutions.

Left leaders also raised the issue of Governors’ role in states, attack on federalism, financial embargo on states, ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by farmers and workers and wanted discussions on these issues. Manipur violence was also a demand raised.

Both the ruling BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led Opposition are likely to unveil their aggressive campaign from the Parliament floors targeting each other on the issues. While the BJP will project Modi government’s work over the last 10 years, the Opposition will try to punch holes in the Centre's narrative.

The BJP will be coming to Parliament in an upbeat mood after managing to woo JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar from the I.N.D.I.A bloc, leading to the collapse of the Grand Alliance government in Bihar. However, the Opposition will not allow itself to be browbeaten and seek to corner the government on a variety of issues from price rise, unemployment, to Manipur violence.

Prominent leaders like Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh are unlikely to be present in Parliament during the Session, as the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is progressing.

Opposition sources said they are unlikely to disrupt the proceedings, as they want to utilise the session before the elections to put the government on the mat. “Last time also, we did not disrupt. We only demanded a statement from the Home Minister, which is a legitimate demand,” a senior Opposition leader said.