Budget session’s Part 2 from March 9

The opposition Congress and other parties, including the Left, will take up contentious issues like violence in Ramjas College and the attempts being made to propagate a specific version of nationalism, besides demonetisation. 

From the ruling side, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has already moved a Private Member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha, seeking reservation of five seats in the Lower House as well as one in the Rajya Sabha for the residents of Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) regions. 

From the Congress side, demonetisation issue would again figure prominently in both the Houses. Congress also has dismissed the latest government figures put out by the Central Statistics Organisation on growth figures and data on other parameters of economy.

Janata Dal (U) leader Sharad Yadav said “There is utmost need for effective floor coordination between all opposition parties including the regional parties, the Left and the Congress to corner government on various issues.” More trouble awaits government especially in the Rajya Sabha, where the proceedings of the last few days of the first part of the budget session was marred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘raincoat’ remarks against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The government is also firm about pushing necessary legislative measures to take the reform process forward. “The Goods and Services Tax GST) Council, in its meeting on March 4 approved the draft Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Bill and the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) Bill.   This clears the deck for the central government to take these two Bills to Parliament for their passage during the second phase of budget Session,” a Finance ministry official said here. The second part of the session will conclude on April 13.