External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement on the ongoing situation in West Asia and address concerns about the safety of Indians living in Gulf countries, in Parliament on Monday, when the second half of the Budget session begins.
The session, set to be a stormy one, will begin amid a renewed standoff between the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the opposition over the no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the conflict in West Asia, and the India-US trade deal. The session is expected to determine the course of the upcoming Assembly elections in four states and one federal territory.
The revised acts of the House show that Jaishankar “will make a statement on the situation in West Asia”. The statement gains importance as the opposition is expected to try to clamp down on the government on international issues especially regarding the US administration’s 30-day exemption for India to purchase Russian oil amid a global slump in oil supplies through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz, a route that accounts for nearly a quarter of global oil supplies.
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“It has become common knowledge that the External Affairs Minister will make a statement in the Houses of Parliament on the situation in West Asia. The problems with such ministerial statements are that (i) they convey little value over and above what is already known; and more importantly (ii) MPs are not given an opportunity to seek clarifications or ask questions,” Congress general secretary and lawmaker Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
Even as the Opposition has signaled its stand ahead of the budget session that will target the government over its alleged compromise with the US administration, the NDA is likely to attack the Opposition over the no-confidence motion against Birla and the alleged lack of protocol on President Draupadi Murmu during her recent visit to West Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as “shameful and unprecedented”. “Everyone who believes in democracy and empowerment of tribal communities is frustrated. The pain and suffering expressed by Rashtrapati Ji, who hails from a tribal community, has caused immense grief in the minds of the people of India. The TMC government in West Bengal has truly crossed all limits. Their administration is responsible for this insult to the President,” Modi said.
West Bengal is among the states that will hold parliamentary elections in April-May this year.
On the other hand, the opposition is likely to clamp down on the government on foreign policy and Indo-US relations.
“India’s foreign policy emerges from the collective will of our people. It should be rooted in our history, geography and spiritual ethos based on Satya and Ahimsa. What we are witnessing today is not politics. It is the result of exploitation of an aggrieved individual,” Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X last week.
The session will end on April 2. The government must approve the draft finance law and request grants to ministries. The government has not yet revealed the legislative agenda for the session.
