Opposition lawmakers in the Lok Sabha are set to participate in the general budget debate next week, even as they washed away the discussion on the President’s speech and did not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to the President’s motion of thanks.
Smaller parties see the budget debate in the Lok Sabha as the last chance to raise substantive issuesSenior lawmakers and Lok Sabha officials said proceedings are expected to return to normal next week for the budget debate. According to the two leaders, some smaller opposition parties want to participate in the budget discussion, which will 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 chalk out a strategy for the remainder of the session.
“We made our floor strategy only to discuss the President’s speech. The opposition parties will meet on Monday morning to decide their position on the budget debate. Our main attack on the BJP was on the issue of not allowing Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to speak. Also, intolerable and unpleasant comments were made against former prime ministers. The opposition demanded that Hussain should be allowed to speak.”
The leaders of the two smaller parties said it was important for them to participate in the budget debate. “We missed the opportunity to participate in the discussion of the President’s speech. We have important issues to raise 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 appear in person before the Supreme Court to argue her case.
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Another non-Congress leader said the opposition wants to question the government on the India-US trade deal in the Lok Sabha and is waiting for the budget debate to seek clarification from the government on the deal. “We are hopeful that talks will resume on Monday,” said a BJP MLA.
