Smaller parties eye Budget debate in Lok Sabha as last chance to raise key issues

According to two leaders, some smaller Opposition parties want to participate in the budget discussions, which would be their last chance to speak in the first half of the budget session

The Opposition lawmakers in the Lok Sabha are set to participate in the General Budget debate next week, even as they washed out the discussions on President’s speech and didn’t allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reply to the motion of thanks to the President.

Smaller parties eye Budget debate in Lok Sabha as last chance to raise key issues

Senior lawmakers and Lok Sabha officials said that the proceedings are expected to normalise next week for the budget debate. According to two leaders, some smaller Opposition parties want to participate in the budget discussions, which would be their last chance to speak in the first half of the budget session.

Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Nasser Hussain told HT that the Opposition parties will meet on Monday to decide the strategy for the remaining part of the session.

“We had formulated our floor strategy only for the discussion on President’s speech. Opposition parties will meet on Monday morning to decide their stand on the budget debate. Our main attack on the BJP had been over the issue of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi not being allowed to speak. Also, intolerable and unpalatable comments were made against former PMs. Opposition had demanded that the LoP must be allowed to speak. That demand remains valid,” Hussain said.

Leaders of two smaller parties maintained that it is important for them to participate in the budget debate. “We have lost the opportunity to participate in the discussion on President’s speech. We have to raise important points in the budget.” A Trinamool Congress leader said, they want to raise the SIR issue in the House after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee became the first chief minister to personally appear in the Supreme Court to argue on her case.

Another non-Congress leader said that the Opposition wants to question the government over the India-US trade deal in the Lok Sabha and they are waiting for the budget debate to seek clarifications from the government on the deal. A BJP lawmaker said, “We are hopeful that the discussions will resume on Monday.”