Parliament Budget Session to begin from January 31, Budget on February 1; Oppn plans counter to NDA govt

The Budget Session of Parliament will begin on January 31 while the Budget will be presented the next day, with Opposition planning to corner the government on protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens as well as on the economy front.

This Session will have unusual events as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will sit to table the Economic Survey soon after the customary address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of Parliament. The Economic Survey is tabled a day before the Budget is presented.

This time, interestingly, the Union Budget is presented on Saturday, when Parliament usually does not sit.

While the first leg of Budget Session will be held from January 31 to February 11, the second leg will start from March 2 and ends on April 3. Altogether there will be 31 sittings.

In order to enable the Standing Committees to consider the Demands for Grants of Ministries and prepare their reports, a Lok Sabha Secretariat statement said, the House will adjourn on February 11 to meet again on March 2.

The session is likely to be stormy with the Opposition planning to raise the issues of nationwide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Population Register and National Register of Citizens. The Opposition has already asked non-BJP governments to follow Kerala and West Bengal governments' decision to put on hold NPR exercise, which they say is a prelude to NRC.

The Opposition is also buoyed by the Jharkhand Assembly election results where JMM-led Opposition dethroned the incumbent BJP government. The session is also held at a time the national capital is on election mode with polls scheduled to be held on February 8.

They will specifically raise the issue of police action in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Assam where anti-CAA protesters were killed in police firing. Also, police action in Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University as well as UP's Aligarh Muslim University will also be raised during the session.

The economic situation in the country will also be used by the Opposition to corner the government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are likely to face intense opposition from their opponents on CAA, NPR and NRC. Already, a privilege notice has been submitted against Shah accusing him of misleading Parliament on NRC.

Similarly, a BJP MP has filed a privilege notice against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after Kerala Assembly passed a resolution against CAA, which was passed by Parliament.