NEW DELHI: Seeking cooperation of all parties in
running Parliament during Budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today
said it is a 'mahapanchayat' which should function despite differences which
may crop up during poll season.
After the Winter Session was washed out due to protests over demonetisation, PM
Modi reached out to the opposition on the eve of the Budget session at an
all-party meeting in Delhi called by the government that was attended by all
major parties except Trinamool Congress, which has been unhappy over the note
ban and arrest of its lawmakers in chit fund cases.
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. Speaking to
reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said that during the
meeting Prime Minister Modi sought support of all parties and said "in
election time, there can be some differences among us, but Parliament is
mahapanchayat. It should function."
Mr Kumar said all parties responded positively and said that they want the
House to function smoothly.
Rejecting the opposition's allegation that government should
not have advanced the session as early presentation of the Union Budget will
impact the level playing field during upcoming state assembly elections, the
Minister said Supreme Court and Election Commission have already given their
judgement on this.
"The government's efforts will be that the budget should benefit all and
takes the country forward," Kumar said. Earlier speaking to reporters,
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
said that government should not have advanced the Budget session.
Mr Azad also cited a similar situation in 2012 when the then
UPA government had postponed the budget session due to state assembly
elections.
"We have asked the government that they should avoid any such announcement
in the budget session which affects level playing field in the five state
assembly elections," Mr Azad said.
The Congress leader has also asked the government to call another all-party
meeting before next part of budget session.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and CPI(M) leader Sitram Yechury
demanded that there should be discussion on demonetisation also during the
first phase of session.
"We have told the government that there should be discussion on
demonetisation for two days as the people across India have suffered due to
this irrational move of the government," Mr Yechury told reporters.
He also said that presentation of budget on February 1 is
"non-scientific" as it will not take into consideration the
statistical data of third quarter which comes only in mid- February.
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