PARLIAMENT’SBudget Session is likely to get off to a stormy start on Friday with Opposition parties demanding a discussion on the alleged mismanagement of the Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj where 30 pilgrims were killed in a stampede. At the all party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the eve of the Parliament Session, Opposition parties also accused the Government of politicising the parliamentary committees and trying to push its agenda by using its majority.

 

The Budget Session starts on Friday with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both the Houses of Parliament assembled together in the Lok Sabha. After the President’s address, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman willtabletheEconomicSurvey intheLokSabhaandtheRajya Sabha separately. Sitharaman will presentthe Union Budget on Saturday for the eighth consecutive time.

 

At the all party meeting, the Opposition accused the BJPled Government of politicisation of the Kumbh congregationandprevalenceofVIPcultureatthecostofthecommon man. TheOppositionparties also alleged that the Government is steam-rolling its agenda in parliamentarypanelsandhavingdisregardforparliamentary procedure of finalising House businessatthemeetingsofthe BusinessAdvisoryCommittee. “Weexpressedourconcerns overthe biased mannerin the conduct of Parliament proceedings,” Gaurav Gogoi, DeputyLeaderoftheCongress intheLokSabha,toldreporters here. A section of the Opposition leaders questioned the Government over the publication of a parliamentary bulletin on the number of days allotted for discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, contending that this was the prerogative of the Business Advisory Committee. “We have takennoteoftheir concerns. The Business AdvisoryCommittee(BAC)will decidewhichissueswillbetaken up for discussion.We hope forasmooth and productive Budget session. Cooperation from all parties is essential for a meaningful and constructive parliamentary session,” ParliamentaryAffairsMinister Kiren Rijiju said.

 

The Government has listed 16 Bills, besides the financial business, for the Budget session which will be held from January 31 to February 13 before breaking for recess to examine the Budget proposals.Thesessionwillreconvene on March 10 and continue till April 4. The all-party meeting was attended by Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, K Suresh, Gaurav Gogoi and Pramod Tewari, Trinamool Congress leadersSudipBandyopadhyay andDerek O’Brien,RSPleader NKPremachandran, BJD leader Sasmit Patra, DMK leader T R Baalu, Samajwadi Party leaderRam GopalYadav, JMM leader Mahua Maji, and NCP-SP leader F 

 

Judicial panel to visit Mahakumbh stampede site today LUCKNOW, Jan 30 (PTI) THE three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh Government to probe the Mahakumbh stampede will visit the site on Friday, panel head Harsh Kumar, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, said. Kumar also said that the commission has a month to wrap up its investigation but will try to expedite it. Kumar and panel members former 

 

 

THE joint committee of Parliament examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill submitted its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday. Panel chairperson Jagdambika Pal met Birla at his Parliament House office and handed over the report. The panel on Wednesday adopted by a majority vote its report that contained changes suggested by members of the ruling BJP, prompting the opposition to dub the exercise an attempt to destroy Waqf boards.