Parliament budget session: Opposition walks out of Rajya Sabha
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha reconvened today as the second part of the budget session begins. According to the Lok Sabha’s list of business, several bills and standing committee reports are scheduled for presentation.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented her eighth consecutive budget on February 1, and the session is set to conclude on April 4.
Both Houses were adjourned until March 10 after the JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was tabled in Parliament. Additionally, they completed discussions on the Union Budget, with Sitharaman addressing the debates.
The JPC report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was laid before both Houses. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, chairperson of the JPC, tabled the report in Lok Sabha, while party MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni presented it in Rajya Sabha. A record of evidence from the panel’s proceedings was also submitted.
However, opposition members protested in Lok Sabha, claiming their dissenting notes were excluded from the report.
Responding to this, Union home minister Amit Shah remarked, “the government would have no opposition if the opposition’s dissent notes were added to the report.”