The second part of the budget session of Parliament began on Monday but was quickly disrupted due to heated arguments. DMK MPs protested strongly against the National Education Policy (NEP) in Tamil Nadu. Because of this, the session had to be paused for some time. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reacted by criticising the DMK, saying they were doing politics and misleading students.

During the debate, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lashed out at the DMK, saying, "They are dishonest. They are not committed to the students of Tamil Nadu. They are ruining the future of Tamil Nadu students. Their only job is to raise language barriers. They are doing politics. They are doing mischief. They are undemocratic and uncivilised."

His remarks angered DMK MPs, who stormed to the front of the House in protest. As a result, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the session until 12 PM to restore order.

Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, another heated argument took place. Opposition MPs walked out after Leader of the House JP Nadda criticised their repeated requests for discussions under Rule 267. He stated, "It's a vicious design to demean the institution of Parliament. They are not interested in debate but want to give the impression that the government does not want to answer or enter into a debate."

Key issues in the budget session

As the session resumed, multiple political issues sparked further clashes between the government and the opposition. Some of the major topics of debate include:

  1. Alleged irregularities in electoral rolls—The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other opposition parties have raised concerns over duplicate voter identity numbers. The Election Commission has promised to fix any errors within three months.
  2. Violence in Manipur—The government is expected to address the ongoing violence in Manipur, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the state budget. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to seek Parliament’s approval for the continuation of President’s Rule in Manipur.
  3. Delimitation of parliamentary seats—The DMK and other opposition parties are strongly opposing the proposal to redraw Lok Sabha constituencies based on population, fearing that states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and West Bengal will be negatively affected.
  4. Waqf Amendment Bill—The government is pushing for the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which has led to opposition parties, including Congress, strategizing ways to challenge it in Parliament.
  5. Economic impact of trade policies—Congress has demanded discussions on the economic impact of trade tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration in the past. They are calling for a united approach to handle future trade challenges.

What’s next in the budget session?

The second part of the budget session started on March 10 and will continue until April 4. The first part of the session took place from January 31 to February 13. With many controversial topics on the agenda, this phase of the session is expected to see intense debates and political confrontations between the government and the opposition.

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