The second part of Parliament's Budget Session resumes on Monday and is set to witness an "EPIC" showdown between the Centre and the Opposition, which is planning to raise issues like the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, the fresh bout of violence in Manipur and India's handling of the Trump administration.
Parliament's Budget Session. (Image:DC)
New Delhi: The second part of Parliament's Budget Session resumes on Monday and is set to witness an "EPIC" showdown between the Centre and the Opposition, which is planning to raise issues like the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, the fresh bout of violence in Manipur and India's handling of the Trump administration. The government will focus on getting 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.
In the second part of the session, which will continue till April 4, Union home minister Amit Shah is expected to move a statutory resolution seeking Parliament's approval for the proclamation of President's Rule in Manipur.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to table the budget for Manipur on Monday. The northeastern state has been under President's Rule since February 13 after the resignation of chief minister N. Biren Singh.
During the second part of the session, the Opposition parties plan to corner the government over the issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. The Trinamul Congress (TMC) has taken the lead in flagging the issue, following which the
Election Commission (EC) declared that it will take corrective measures within the next three months.
Earlier, the EC had rejected the Trinamul Congress' claim that the voter lists were manipulated to allow voters from other states to exercise their franchise in West Bengal. The poll body had also made it clear that while the EPIC numbers of some voters "may be identical" but other details such as demographic information, Assembly constituency and polling booth are different.
The TMC leaders are meeting the EC on Monday and have also rallied other Opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK and the Shiv Sena(UBT), to raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament during the second part of the Budget Session.
The TMC leaders are meeting the EC on Monday and have also rallied other Opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK and the Shiv Sena(UBT), to raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament during the second part of the Budget Session.
For the government, the early passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill is a priority. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju had said at a media conclave last week that the government is keen on the early passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill, as it will solve many issues of the Muslim community.
A Joint Parliamentary Committee submitted its report on the bill in the Lok Sabha amid vociferous protests by the Opposition.
Issues such as the fresh violence in Manipur, the threat of reciprocal tariffs by US President Donald Trump and the political furore over the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies are also expected to find an echo in Parliament.
Issues such as the fresh violence in Manipur, the threat of reciprocal tariffs by US President Donald Trump and the political furore over the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies are also expected to find an echo in Parliament.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Opposition INDIA bloc leaders will hold "extensive consultation" to jointly oppose the Waqf bill. He said that the Congress will also keep raising the issue of irregularities in the election process, alleging that elections are "no longer free and fair" and are being "masterminded and orchestrated".
Ramesh also said that the Congress will raise the issue of Trump's reciprocal-tariff threats during the second half of the Budget Session and called for a bipartisan collective resolve to deal with the threats.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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