The second half of the Budget session of Parliament resumes on Monday, March 9. The session is expected to have a confrontational start as the Lok Sabha is set to take up an opposition-backedmotionseeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, while the escalating US-Israel-Iran war is also expected to dominate proceedings.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will brief Parliament on the rapidly intensifying crisis in West Asia, which began on February 28, according to the revised list of business for the day. The Budget session will go on till April 2. The US-Iran-Israel war entered its 10th day on Monday, sending oil prices soaring.
The debate and subsequently the voting on the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the Lok Sabha Speaker will be taken up on March 9. The first part of the session witnessed feiry exchanges between the opposition and the treasury benches.
In the first part of the session, the Lok Sabha witnessed disruptions since February 2, after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disallowed by the chair from quoting from an article based on excerpts of former Army chief M M Naravane's "unpublished memoir", which has references to the India-China conflict of 2020.
On February 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks due to opposition protests. In an unprecedented move, the Motion of Thanks was passed on February 5 without the customary speech by the prime minister. The speaker read out the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address and it was passed by a voice vote amid sloganeering by opposition members.
Birla said he received concrete information that many Congress MPs could carry out an "unexpected act" by reaching the spot where PM Modi sits and, therefore, he asked him not to come to the House to deliver his address. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra refuted this.
Eight opposition members were suspended for the remainder of the Budget session for unruly behaviour in the House.
In the last few days of the first part, the Speaker decided to step aside from his role as the presiding officer of the House after the opposition submitted the notice for his removal from office, alleging that he had acted in a "blatantly partisan" manner.
The Congress leadership on Sunday held a key parliamentary strategy group meeting and decided to evolve a joint opposition strategy during the upcoming Budget session of Parliament.
After the Parliamentary strategy group meeting at the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Hussain said they discussed various national and international developments, including the West Asia crisis and its implications.
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