Parliament  |  Photo Credit: PTI
New Delhi: The Budget Session of Parliament is likely to begin on a stormy note on Monday as the opposition is set to corner the Modi government on a range of issues such as the Pegasus snooping row, farmers’ issue and India-China border dispute.
The session will begin with President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha assembled together in the Central Hall and chambers of both the Houses in wake of the COVID-19 situation.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Economic Survey 2021-22 on Monday and the Union Budget on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reply to the debate in the Lok Sabha on February 7.
The main opposition Congress has decided to reach out to like-minded parties to flag several issues such as farm distress, Chinese “incursions”, and the Pegasus snooping row during the session, PTI reported.
The party is also expected to corner the Centre over the sale of Air India and relief package for COVID-19 victims.
The first part of the Budget Session will be held from January 31 to February 11 after which it will go into recess to examine the budgetary allocations for different departments. The session would resume on March 14 and conclude on April 8.
The session comes amid a heated election campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur. These five states will hold polls in seven phases from February 10 to March 7.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will hold separate meetings with floor leaders of political parties on Monday to ensure smooth functioning of the House during the session.