Chances have brightened for the two Houses of Parliament to return to normalcy from Monday as the opposition parties agreed to participate in proceedings at a meeting chaired by Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Friday, after the opening week of the budget session was washed out amid protests over rising fuel prices.
According to two opposition leaders, Birla told them that while their issues — fuel price hike and farm laws — are important for them, urgent business that has constitutional requirements needs to be completed.
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“The speaker told us we need to pass the Finance Bill and the demand for grants on an urgent basis. He also told us that he will adjourn the House quickly so that the MPs can go back to their states for the poll campaign,” said senior Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Ray.
The budget session of Parliament is likely to be cut short by 10 days and is expected to be adjourned on March 25.
A senior Congress leader admitted that disruptions “can’t go on forever”. “We have protested for three consecutive days and didn’t allow any government business. Now, we also need to raise out issues on the floor of the House and corner the BJP over people’s issues,” a senior Rajya Sabha strategist of the Congress said on Friday on the condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}A senior Congress leader admitted that disruptions “can’t go on forever”. “We have protested for three consecutive days and didn’t allow any government business. Now, we also need to raise out issues on the floor of the House and corner the BJP over people’s issues,” a senior Rajya Sabha strategist of the Congress said on Friday on the condition of anonymity.
{{/usCountry}}Opposition parties are likely to meet informally on Monday morning and prepare a joint strategy on how to utilise the debates on the demand for grants and the Finance Bill to underline the alleged mismanagement by the government of various sectors of the economy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make a statement on Monday to commemorate celebrations of the country’s 75 years of Independence. He was scheduled to speak on March 12 but deferred the plan due to a lack of consensus between the ruling dispensation and opposition parties.
Opposition parties disrupted both Houses of Parliament for three consecutive days over fuel price hikes and the three contentious farm laws before proceedings were adjourned till Monday.
After negotiations with the opposition failed, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said: “PM Modi wanted to make a statement in the House on the 75 years of Independence celebrations, ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. But due to a lack of consensus, the statement will not be made. It will happen when a consensus is reached.”