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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. 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. Earlier in the day, the Opposition MPs staged a protest outside the Makar Dwar in the Parliament House complex while demanding the resignation of Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who is under fire after Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi questioned his links with the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. MPs from across the opposition parties held placards reading "Who's grip, who's choke" during the demonstration. This came after Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, claimed he had verified information linking Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to the recently released Epstein files by the US Department of Justice. Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government has decided to drop its proposed Motion against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for bringing an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief Naravane and his remarks during his budget speech in Parliament. Speaking to the media, Rijiju said the Centre withdrew the motion after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey moved a Substantive Motion in the House against the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition. He further said that once the Substantive Motion is admitted, the government will consult the Speaker to decide whether the matter should be referred to the Privilege Committee, the Ethics Committee, or taken up directly in the House for discussion. A political controversy erupted after Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote excerpts from the "unpublished" book of the ex-Army Chief in Parliament. (ANI)
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