Guwahati: The Centre postponed Rajya Sabha proceedings till March 13 on Monday.
The parliament is expected to resume sessions from March 13 to April 6 in consideration of the opposition parties’ sloganeering regarding the Adani-Hindenburg dispute. The second portion of the Budget session, which is normally the longest for the Indian parliament, is when the MPs will convene.
The Lok Sabha was still in session and was scheduled to adjourn in the early hours of Monday.
The first phase of the Budget session was held on January 31. The president spoke to a joint session of the house during the meeting, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid the nation’s yearly Economic Survey on the table. The Union Budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on April 1, was presented by the finance minister on February 1.
The opposition caused a stir during the first part of the Budget debate by calling for the JPC in response to a report by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research detailing financial misconduct at the conglomerate owned by Indian business magnate Gautam Adani.
The houses hardly ever managed to hold sessions and the speakers frequently had to adjourn them amidst constant clamour from the opposition parties.
The president’s motion of appreciation speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also derailed by persistent shouts tying the ruling party to Adani.
In order to execute the budgetary plans for fiscal year 2024–2025, the finance minister must introduce the Finance Bill during the following session or the second half of the Budget session.
For this year’s budget session, the government’s legislative agenda included a total of 26 legislation, including seven pending ones.