Govt not to bring any legislative business in Rajya Sabha during 1st part of Budget Session

File image of the Parliament building in New Delhi (Image: PTI)

The government told an all-party meeting Monday that it does not intend to bring any legislative business in Rajya Sabha during the first part of the Budget Session which is till February 11, sources said.

The meeting was convened by Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu through virtual mode to discuss the agenda for the Budget Session that started on Monday.

The sources said Union minister and Leader of the House Piyush Goyal informed the meeting that since the duration of the first part is small, no legislative business will be brought by the government.

The Budget Session of Parliament began on Monday and is scheduled to conclude on April 8 with a recess in-between from February 12 to March 13.

Goyal said that due to the paucity of time during the first part, Rajya Sabha will have window only for the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the president’s address and the Union Budget proposal, according to the sources.

Naidu also urged leaders of various political parties to allow smooth functioning of the House during the session.

The leaders assured of their support to the Chairman.

The meeting was held in virtual mode in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The shadow of the Pegasus snooping row already looms large over the budget session with the opposition geared up to take up the issue after the New York Times claimed that India had brought the Pegasus spyware from Israel in 2017 as part of a USD 2 billion defence deal.