Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi on Thursday appealed to opposition leaders to desist from their proposed boycott of the President Ram Nath Kovind’s joint address to both Houses of Parliament at the start of the Budget Session on Friday.
The Budget Session of Parliament is presaged by the President’s address to both Houses.
More than 16 opposition parties including the Congress, Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) , Samajwadi Party , Communist Party of India (Marxist) and others released a statement on Thursday announcing their decision to boycott the address.
“I appeal to leaders from all parties not to boycott the President’s address. The government is ready to discuss all issues threadbare and as much time as is required will be set aside when the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of both Houses meet,” said Mr Joshi reacting to the news of the boycott.
The joint statement by the opposition was scathing on the government’s record so far terming both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government as “arrogant, adamant and undemocratic in their response” with regard to the three agriculture related laws cleared in the last session and which has resulted in long protests by farmers groups and violence on Republic Day during a tractor rally by these groups.
The stage seems to be set for a very stormy budget session.
