AIADMK pushes for curtailing Budget Session

NEW DELHI: With the budget session into its third week, the AIADMK has floated the idea of curtailing the session, citing campaign requirements of parties for the upcoming assembly polls to four states. The government’s intriguing silence at Tuesday’s business advisory committee meeting, after the AIADMK nominee made the proposal, has left some leaders wondering whether the proposal was a government-sponsored trial balloon to assess the general response to the proposal. Many parties, including BJP, Congress, Trinamool, Left and Tamil Nadu parties are likely to be preoccupied with the poll campaign soon.

According to sources, AIADMK floor leader P Venugopal made the suggestion to end the session sine die at the end of the first phase. The fact that his suggestion came after the government informed the BAC that the first phase of the sitting will be extended from March 16 to 18 to make up for the loss of working days added to the buzz. Government representative at the BAC, minister of state for parliamentary affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy remained silent to Venugopal’s proposal, prompting some Opposition leaders to wonder whether the suggestion had the tactical nod of the treasury benches.



“There is nothing official about it, but there is an increasing buzz about the possibility of the budget session ending at the end of the first phase,” said a senior Opposition leader. At the meeting, the Speaker allotted three hours for discussion and passage of the Aadhaar bill. The Speaker also avoided a clear response to Congress whip KC Venugopal’s repeated plea to ensure that the Aadhaar bill not be introduced as a money bill, a government move to ensure that it cannot be held up in the Rajya Sabha, given the Congress demand that bill be first referred to a joint-House panel.