The first part of the Budget session concluded amid controversies over Gen Naravane's memoir and the India-US trade deal. The session was marked by Opposition protests, MP suspensions, and a no-confidence motion against the Lok Sabha Speaker.
The first part of the Budget session concluded on Friday, marked by political debates over the India-US interim trade deal and the memoir of former Army Chief MM Naravane, whose publishing status remained a matter of controversy even outside the Parliament. The Lok Sabha will reconvene on March 9 after a three-week recess.
Session Overview and Agenda
The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned and is scheduled to meet again on March 9 after a three-week recess. The Parliament budget session, which began on January 28 with the President's address to a joint sitting of the two Houses, comprises 30 sittings over 65 days and is scheduled to conclude on April 2. The recess will allow Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.
The first part of the session was devoted primarily to the Budget for 2026-27 and to a discussion of the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. The INDIA bloc discussed replacing MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll by the start of the session.
During President Droupadi Murmu's address to both Houses of the Parliament, opposition parties continued to stage a protest in a "dignified" manner against the scrapping of the MGNREGA.
Union Budget and Fiscal Policy
On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Lok Sabha. She rose to her ninth consecutive Budget. The Finance Minister also laid two statements before the House under Section 3(1) of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003. These include the Medium-term Fiscal Policy-cum-Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement and the Macro-Economic Framework Statement.
Meanwhile, GST reforms, branded as 'GST 2.0', aimed to simplify indirect taxation through a two-rate structure of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, reduce compliance costs and lower the cost of living through rate cuts on essential goods and services.
This time, the budget document is significant, as the government is likely to focus on export growth following the United States' imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods.
Lok Sabha Uproar and MP Suspensions
On February 2, during the motion of thanks on the President's Address, Lok Sabha witnessed sharp verbal exchanges after the Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House sought to quote a magazine article containing excerpts from Naravane's unpublished memoir.
Gandhi's reply during the motion of thanks on the President's Address was interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who raised concerns that a Congress MP cannot quote from an unpublished book, which he said has not been authenticated. Moments into his speech, Rahul Gandhi addressed an allegation by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya against the Congress, linking it to questions of patriotism and national culture. The ruling benches objected to Gandhi's attempt to cite excerpts from the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General Naravane. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs objected, arguing that the memoir had not been published and could not be quoted in the House.
Further, eight opposition members were suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the session for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair" following an uproar in the House over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's insistence on making a specific reference to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.
Even after proceedings were repeatedly disrupted by sloganeering from Opposition members, the Lok Sabha on February 5 passed the Motion of Thanks to the President's address without the customary reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress was physically planning to attack PM Modi in the lower house of Parliament, and women MPs were sent as a cover measure for this, according to sources. Speaker Om Birla said he had urged PM Modi not to come to the House to prevent any unpleasant incident, after receiving information that some Congress MPs could come to the PM's seat and "resort to an unprecedented incident".
PM Modi's Address to Rajya Sabha
Amid the drama and an unprecedented incident, replying to the motion of thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the world is rapidly moving toward a new global order. Noting that the first quarter of the 21st century is over and the second quarter will be as decisive as the second quarter of India's freedom struggle in the last century, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country is marching speedily towards Viksit Bharat.
Escalating Controversies and Clarifications
The controversy later took a different turn when Rahul Gandhi claimed he had verified information linking Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to the recently released Epstein files by the US Department of Justice, and that the government had been compromised on the India-US trade agreement under international pressure.
No-Confidence Motion Against Speaker
This came after Congress submitted a notice of no-confidence motion against Om Birla today. The speaker has directed the House Secretary-General to review the no-confidence notice against him and take appropriate action, according to sources. After all the drama, the Congress party later submitted a no-confidence motion notice against the Lok Sabha Speaker. In response, Speaker Om Birla decided on moral grounds that he will not attend the proceedings of the House till the disposal of the no-confidence motion notice against him.
Publisher and Author Respond to Memoir Claims
Amid the heated political debate, Bharatiya Janata Party slammed Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of dragging a decorated Army officer into his "cheap politics" and making false claims about the publishing status of the book.
Penguin Random House India issued a fresh statement earlier today in response to an allegation by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, clarifying that the book was announced and listed for pre-order but hasn't yet entered publication, distribution, or sale. Any circulating copies are unauthorised and constitute copyright infringement.
Former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane also confirmed that his memoir, "Four Stars of Destiny", has not yet been published, backing Penguin Random House India's statement by supporting the statement from Penguin.
Second Phase of Session
As the second phase runs from March 9 to April 2, essential legislative and other business is expected to be addressed primarily during the second part of the Session. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)