Budget session to begin today

The Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance government is set to face a stormy Budget session which will commence on Monday as it is expected to introduce some key legislations.

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi assurance that issues raised by opposition parties will be discussed in Parliament, it does not seem sailing for the government in Parliament.

The Prime Minister reached out to opposition parties at an all-party meeting to arrive at a consensus on some ordinances but they have had their reservations about certain bills which could prove to be a major obstacle for the government.

Ahead of the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu met Congress President Sonia Gandhi to get her on board and requested her to extend support for smooth running of Parliament.

Naidu said, "We have assured that issues raised by leaders will be given due importance and they will be taken up in Parliament."

Congress MP in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Any bill that doesn't favour the poor people of our country, we will definitely not support it."

The Modi government faces the tough task of getting six key ordinances passed before April 5 and are The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Second Ordinance, 2014; The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014; The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014; The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, 2015; Bill to replace The Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015; Bill to replace The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015.

The desperation of the NDA government was visible when its leaders tried to molify Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee saying it had no role in the Central Bureau of Investigation action against some party leaders in the multi-crore Saradha chit-fund scam case.

TMC MP Derek O'Brien said, "We believe that there should be some independent inquiry, not the CBI nonsense as it is total political vendetta."

The government already knows that given its numerical strength in Rajya Sabha, it would be difficult to pass the bills. And with Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi joining protest, the party won't make it easy for the government to pass the bill. Meanwhile, both TMC and Janata Parivar both sense a great opportunity to corner NDA.