New Delhi:
The budget session of Parliament begins today under the shadow of multiple controversies, including Kanwar Yatra, NEET and Manipur. Three states, two of which are ruled by allies, are demanding special status. The Union budget will be presented on Tuesday.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
The Union Budget will be presented at 11 am on Tuesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who has been given the portfolio for a fresh term in the interest of continuity. The Interim Union Budget for 2024-25 was presented ahead of the Lok Sabha elections on February 1.
The Budget is preceded by the Economic Survey, which is being presented today. A report on the economy and growth, the Survey is being presented in the Lok Sabha. The Survey contains details on the performance of various sectors of the economy and data on employment, GDP growth, inflation and fiscal deficit.
The debate following the budget presentation is expected to be stormy, with the emerging opposition ready with a list of controversial issues. The opposition failed to discuss several issues in the first session after the new MPs were sworn in.
The BJP is also bracing itself for a series of demands from allies, including rolling back the controversial measure in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand that required eatery owners to put up hoardings with their names.
The opposition Congress has criticised the order, terming it “communal and divisive” and aimed at targeting Muslims and Scheduled Castes by forcing them to reveal their identities. The Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party and AAP demanded a discussion in Parliament and made it clear that they would raise the issue in both houses.
Meanwhile, BJP's allies from Bihar are demanding Special Category status. The YSR Congress is also asking for Andhra Pradesh and Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal for Odisha.
The issues were discussed at an all-party meeting on Sunday, but the demand for special category status for Andhra Pradesh was not raised by BJP ally and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Congress' Jairam Ramesh said.
After the meeting, BJP ally Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal leader, spoke about the controversial eateries order. “It seems that the order has been taken without much thought and the government is firm in it because the decision has been taken,” he said.
During the all-party meeting, Minister Rajnath Singh asked the Opposition to avoid disruptions during speeches of senior leaders. During the inauguration of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address was repeatedly interrupted by slogans from the Opposition members.
The budget session ends on August 12. By then, the government aims to pass six bills, including one that would replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act and make it easier to do business in the aviation sector.
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