New Delhi: The budget session of Parliament will commence on Friday with the government outlining its legislative agenda including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the opposition parties pressing on issues of their concern including price rise and unemployment.

The budget session will commence with President Droupadi Murmu addressing joint sitting of the two Houses. The Economic Survey will also be tabled on Friday ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on Saturday.

Congress Leader Pramod Tiwari Accuses Govt Of Economic Failure

After the all-party meeting convened by the government, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari accused the government of failing on the economic front.

“Congress expressed concern that the BJP government is systematically killing constitutional values and traditions…We expressed concern over the manner in which the incident occurred in the Kumbh Mela. We are seeing that now the date of independence of the country is also being changed by the Chief of the RSS. Not only this, we also expressed concern over the insult of Babasaheb Ambedkar by Home Minister Amit Shah… Gandhi ji was assassinated on this day but this government is killing him every day and promoting the principles of Godse,” he alleged.

“The Waqf Board meeting was held as if all the decisions were already written… The committee that has been formed for One Nation One Election deliberately has 2 fewer members of the opposition and 2 more members of the ruling party, it makes it seem that all the preparations are already done. We also discussed how the government has completely failed on the economic front… The government is not concerned about Manipur,” he added.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra said the party will press for special category status for Odisha.

“There were very critical issues that were raised by the BJD today in the all-party meeting right before the Budget session. Party President Naveen Patnaik advised and directed the BJD parliamentary party to strongly take up the issue of demanding special category status for the state of Odisha. This has been a long-standing demand. In 2014, the BJP in its election manifesto had specified on its first page of the manifesto that if they came to power, they would ensure special category status for the state of Odisha,” he said.

“They say they are a double-engine government. They are in Delhi. They are in Odisha. So, therefore, why is the special category status not coming in? So BJD will very strongly demand special category status for the state of Odisha,” he added.

The all-party meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by 52 leaders from 36 political parties including union ministers.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that tentatively 16 items of legislative business and three items of financial business have been identified for being taken up during this session.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs also stated that the Government is prepared and ready to discuss any other important issue on the floor of the Houses as per rules of both Houses.

The legislative agenda of the government includes Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024, the Boilers Bill, 2024, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 and the Finance Bill, 2025

The two Houses will take up discussion and voting on Demands for Grants for the year 2025-26 and introduction, consideration and passing of the related Appropriation Bill.

There will be discussion and voting on Second and Final Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2024-25 and introduction, consideration and passing/return of the related appropriation bill.

There will also be discussion and voting on Demands for Excess Grants for the year 2021-22 and introduction, consideration and passing/return of the related appropriation bill.

Rijiju said with the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Lok Sabha Speaker, the Business Advisory Committees will decide the duration of discussions on the President’s address and the budget discussion.

He said Parliament will not function on February 5 due to Delhi polls.

Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh And Opposition Members Strongly Protest

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that at the all-party meeting, the opposition members expressed their strong protest of the way Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Bill functioned.

“In the traditional pre-session All-Party meeting this morning, all Opposition leaders have expressed their strongest protest on how the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill was made to function. It has made a complete mockery of all parliamentary traditions and practices. Such committees used to be a force to be reckoned with – now they have been reduced to be a farce to be reckoned with,” Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

“Since the establishment of the Standing Committees in the mid-1990s, Parliament has followed a One MP, One Standing Committee rule. Now there are 26 BJP MPs who are members of 2 Standing Committees. This shows how the Duo are seeking to control the Standing Committees,” he added.

The first part of budget session will continue till February 13 and the two Houses will again meet on March 10 after recess with the session concluding on April 4.

New Delhi: As the Delhi Assembly polls approach, allegations and counter-allegations from political parties in the Union Territory have intensified. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, in a social media post, made a sensational claim stating that the Delhi Police had reached Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Delhi to conduct a raid.

Attacking the BJP over the alleged incident, she said, “The BJP people are openly distributing money, shoes, and blankets in broad daylight—that doesn’t get noticed. Instead, they rush to raid the residence of an elected Chief Minister.”

“Wow, BJP! The people of Delhi will give their answer on the 5th (election day)!” she added.

Atishi’s post claiming a raid at Bhagwant Mann’s residence comes amid reports of massive security deployment outside Kapurthala House, the official residence of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Delhi.

Shortly after Atishi’s post, Returning Officer OP Pandey told media outside Mann’s residence, “We have got a complaint about money distribution. We have to dispose of the complaint in 100 minutes. Our FST had come here which was not allowed to enter. I have come here to request them to let us enter along with a cameraperson. The complaint of money distribution was received on the cVIGIL app.”

Notably, the police yesterday seized a large amount of cash and liquor have been seized from a car with a “Punjab government” sticker in Delhi. According to reports, AAP pamphlets were also found in the car.

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit stated, “I wrote a letter to the LG about 25 days ago, informing him about Punjab-registered vehicles and Punjab Police bringing large amounts of money into Delhi. Today, that claim has been proven true. There is also information that Punjab Bhawan is being used as an office for the AAP. The police should raid Punjab Bhawan and investigate what is hidden inside its rooms.”

New Delhi, Jan 30: The Congress on Thursday promised enhanced educational and job opportunities for Muslim and other minority voters in Delhi after it comes to power in the February 5 Assembly election.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress MP Imran Masood hit out at the AAP government in Delhi for making hollow promises to minorities.

He said the Congress will take steps for the welfare of Muslims and minorities by implementing the UPA government’s 15-point programme based on Justice Rajinder Sachar committee report.

“The AAP was exposed during the CAA agitation and the Delhi riots in 2020,” he said, adding that minorities and the underprivileged have been at the receiving end ever since the AAP came to power in Delhi and the BJP came to power at the Centre.

He said the Congress manifesto for the Delhi Assembly election reflects its commitment to protect and uplift the minorities, to bring them into the mainstream by facilitating their progress through various schemes.

He said that both the AAP and the BJP had ignored and suppressed the interest of minorities for the past 10 years.

Masood said on coming to power in Delhi, the Congress will implement the Prime Minister’s 15-point action plan, drafted under the UPA government to implement the Sachar Committee report for the welfare of minorities.

The measures would include enhanced educational opportunities, equal participation in financial and employment opportunities, and prevention of communal violence and social unrest, he said.

He said that the Congress, on winning the Delhi Assembly election, will revive the Punjabi Academy, fund a Punjabi Chair in JNU and strengthen the Delhi SC/ST, Minority and Handicapped Development Finance Corporation so that these communities can get the lowest interest rate loans to start a business.

The Congress leader said that the party’s government will fill vacancies of Urdu, Punjabi and Bhojpuri teachers on a priority basis, establish a university in the name of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur and set up a Jain Welfare Board, convene the Delhi Waqf Board and ensure timely payments to Imams and Muezzins.

Voting to pick a new 70-member Delhi Assembly will take place on February 5. The result will be declared on February 8. The Congress, which ruled the city for 15 years between 1998 and 2013, has failed to win even a single Assembly seat in the last two Assembly polls in 2015 and 2020.