The second phase of the Budget Session is set to begin on Monday. The first part of the Budget session of Parliament was from January 31 to February 13. The second part will commence and continue till April 4.
The Budget Session of the Parliament is set to resume on Monday amid indications of a showdown between the government and the opposition. The opposition has said that it is all set to corner the government over the issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.
It is also planning to raise issues like the fresh wave of violence in Manipur after ‘free movement,’ and India’s handling of the Trump administration. On EPIC, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has taken the lead in flagging the issue, following which the Election Commission declared that it would take corrective measures within the next three months.
However, the poll body rejected the TMC claim that the voter lists were manipulated to allow voters from other states to exercise their franchise in West Bengal. The EC also made it clear that while the EPIC numbers of some voters “may be identical”, other details such as demographic information, Assembly constituency and polling booth are different.
On Monday, the TMC leaders will also meet the poll body and have also rallied other opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, and Shiv Sena-UBT, to raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament during the second part of the Budget session.
Govt focus on Waqf, Manipur budget
Meanwhile, the government’s focus will be on getting the Parliament’s nod for the demands for grants, completion of the budgetary process, seeking approval for the Manipur budget and passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill. For the government, the early passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill is a priority.
As the President’s Rule has been implemented in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to move a statutory resolution seeking its approval. On the other hand, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is also scheduled to table the budget for Manipur on Monday, as it is under the President’s Rule.
A Joint Committee of Parliament submitted its report on the bill in the Lok Sabha amid vociferous protests by the opposition. The first part of the Budget session of Parliament was from January 31 to February 13. The second part will commence on March 10 and continue till April 4.
(With PTI Inputs)
