Modi calls for Budget truce, Oppn vows to corner govt

New Delhi: Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to Opposition parties to keep political differences aside and let Parliament function, the crucial Budget session which begins today appears to be in trouble already. 

Though Mr Modi reached out to the Opposition at an all-party meeting on Monday, several Opposition parties said they have decided to corner the government over key issues like demonetisation and advancing the date of the Budget session. The Congress party has even threatened to try and disrupt the finance minister’s Budget speech.

The Trinamool Congress, which did not attend the meeting, has decided to boycott the first two days of the Budget session, including the Budget presentation. The Shiv Sena also did not attend the meeting though no official reason was given.

The Trinamool Congress, which was at the forefront of the agitation against demonetisation, resulting in a virtual washout of the Winter session, has 34 MPs in the Lower House. Branding the Parliament as a “Mahapanchayat”, Mr Modi sought the cooperation of all parties in the smooth running of the House. He said that Parliament should function despite differences that may crop up during the poll season.

The reasons given by the TMC for skipping the Budget were many, including Saraswati Puja on February 1, and the recent arrest of their top leaders, Sudip Bandopadhyay and Tapas Pal. “Trinamool MPs will not be present in Parliament on the first two days of the Budget session in protest against demonetisation which was implemented without taking Parliament into confidence,” TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee said after the party’s parliamentary party meet chaired by Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata.

The Congress, on the other hand, has taken strong objection to the shifting of the presentation of the Budget by almost a month, from February 28 to February 1.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that he has asked the government to avoid announcing any sops or concessions in the Union Budget that may skew the playing field in the upcoming Assembly elections in the BJP’s favour. Mr Azad gave the example of United Progressive Alliance’s 2012’s decision to postpone the Union Budget due to Assembly elections. 

“The  Government should not have advanced the Budget Session, especially when state Assembly elections are coming up,” he said. He also said that government should call another all-party meeting before the next phase of the Budget session.

The government, however, asserted that the Budget will be presented as scheduled, rejecting the Opposition’s allegations that it will impact the upcoming Assembly elections. The Supreme Court and Election Commission, it said, have already given their judgment on this.

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said during the meeting the Prime Minister sought the support of all parties and said, “In election time, there can be some differences among us, but Parliament is Mahapanchayat. It should function.”

“The government’s efforts will be that the budget should benefit all and takes the country forward,” Mr Kumar said.

In the meeting, the Congress and CPI-M demanded that there be a discussion on demonetisation in the current session.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that there should be discussion on demonetisation for two days “as it has severely impacted people across India… they have suffered due to this irrational move”.

He also said that presentation of Budget on February 1 is unscientific as it will not take into consideration the statistical data of the third quarter that comes only in mid-February.