The Budget Session of Parliament will commence with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind. (Photo Credit: PTI)
New Delhi:
The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on today with the address of President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament at 11 am. Kovind will deliver the speech at the Central Hall of Parliament. Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu will also chair a meeting of floor leaders of Rajya Sabha at his residence today.
The Union Budget will be presented on February 1. Ahead of that, the Economic Survey will be presented on January 31. The first phase of the session will conclude on February 11. After a break, it will again commence on March 2 and continue till April 3.
The government has convened a meeting of the leaders of all political parties in the morning of January 30.
According to sources, the meetings are aimed at ensuring that the upcoming Parliament session goes on smoothly and there are no disruptions. The leaders of various parties in the Upper House have been invited by Naidu to his residence in the evening, as well as by Birla, for separate meetings.
It may be recalled that for the first time, the Rajya Sabha witnessed a 100 per cent productivity during the last two sessions, which Naidu said was an indication of "the ship of RS passing through stormy waters being steadied".
At the upcoming meeting, the Rajya Sabha chairman is likely to appeal to the leaders of various parties to continue with that positive momentum during the important Budget Session.
Opposition parties are likely to meet after the budget presentation on February 1 to evolve a joint strategy for the upcoming Parliament session starting on Friday.
Various parties have already held their individual strategy meets for the budget session of Parliament and would soon get together to evolve a joint strategy to corner the government on key issues concerning the common people, according to sources.
These include the protests and opposition over the amended citizenship act, price rise and inflation besides the poor state of the economy and rising unemployment.
Congress parliamentarians led by the party's top leadership will stage a protest outside Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament complex ahead of the start of the budget session on Friday in solidarity with people who are protesting against the CAA and the NRC.
According to sources, Congress MPs will assemble outside Gandhi's statue around 10.30 am and lodge their protest over the government's "arrogance" of not hearing out those protesting on the roads against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.
The protest will be lodged ahead of the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament in the Central Hall, heralding the start of the budget session, they said.
With PTI Inputs
