Signalling an end to the prolonged standoff between the government and the Opposition, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday resumed normal proceedings and took up discussion on the Union Budget, which had been stalled for days amid demands that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak on various issues.
When the House reconvened at 2 pm after two adjournments, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, invited Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to initiate the debate. The Thiruvananthapuram MP began the discussion, marking the formal start of deliberations on the Budget.
The breakthrough followed a day of rapid political developments, including Opposition parties submitting a notice seeking a resolution to remove Om Birla as Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The House functioned from 2 pm to 8 pm, with members from across party lines participating in the debate. The Business Advisory Committee has allocated 18 hours for discussion, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to reply on Thursday afternoon.
Since February 2, the Lok Sabha had witnessed repeated disruptions and unruly scenes, leading to the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI(M) member for the remainder of the Budget session.
Amid concerns over potential disruptions, Speaker Birla had earlier requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House when he was scheduled to reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address. Birla’s remarks, suggesting that Congress members might create unpleasant scenes, had further deepened the impasse.
As a result of the disruptions, the Prime Minister was unable to respond to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address delivered to both Houses on January 28. The motion was eventually adopted by voice vote amid sloganeering by Opposition members.
Birla had earlier expressed regret that more than 19 hours of House proceedings were lost due to repeated disruptions.
