Parliament Budget Session: Congress Lok Sabha MPs to meet to chalk out floor strategy today

This comes after the Lower House of the Parliament witnessed a standoff between the opposition and the Treasury benches, as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi reinvoked the unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General MM Naravane. Eight opposition MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the budget session for violating rules and "throwing papers on the chair".

The opposition MPs who have been suspended for the remainder of the session are Congress members Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Prashant Yadaorao Padole, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Dean Kuriakose, and CPI(M) member S Venkatesan.

Rahul Gandhi also wrote to Speaker Om Birla, raising concerns over "being prevented from speaking" on matters of national security during the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.

Meanwhile, today both Houses of Parliament are scheduled to continue the discussion on the motion of 'Thanks to the President's address' during the ongoing Budget Session.

In the Lok Sabha, the motion was moved by Sarbananda Sonowal and seconded by Tejasvi Surya. The House has allotted 18 hours for the discussion, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reply today.

In the Upper House, the BJP MP Sadananad Master moved the motion of thanks.

The motion follows President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of both the Houses to mark the beginning of the Budget Session on January 28.

According to the List of Business, MPs Jair Parkash and Balashowry Vallabhaneni are scheduled to present the Reports of the Public Accounts Committee 2025-26.

The Budget session will span 30 sittings over 65 days, concluding on April 2. The two Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9 to enable the Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments. (ANI)