Lok Sabha Speaker schedules House leaders’ meeting ahead of Budget Session

Sumitra Mahajan, Lok Sabha Speaker, has scheduled a meeting for the House leaders of all political parties to be held on 28^th January 2018 (tomorrow). The meeting will be on the eve of the Parliament’s Budget Session during which the government and opposition will possibly be at odds over a host of issues such as the triple talaq bill.

A similar meeting has been summoned by the government tomorrow. At the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the head opposition leaders are expected to give their thoughts on the important issues that they would like to be discussed during the session.

The first part of the session will be held from January 29^th to February 9^th.  During this period, the government heads will present and discuss the economic survey on January 29^th. This will be followed by a discussion on the Union Budget on the February 1^st. This session will commence with President Ram Nath Kovind addressing a joint sitting of members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This would be his first such address to the Parliament. Kovind is expected to give an outline of the government’s thrust on the development and empowering the people, especially those who are from less developed and weaker sections of the country.

With the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government presenting its final, complete budget before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, there is a high chance that it would have a robust political implication.

The Parliament will meet again from March 5^th to April 6^th, following a break after February 9^th. During this session, the government would give a fresh attempt for the passage of the triple talaq legislation as well as a bill requesting constitutional status for the OBC commission. Both of these bills carry political significance for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which strongly supports the abolition of the instant divorce law among Muslims. The tripe talaq practice was last year declared void by the Supreme Court.

The Lok Sabha had passed the instant triple talaq legislation that seeks imprisonment for any Muslim man convicted of practicing the instant triple talaq. However, a united opposition stalled it in the Rajya Sabha where the government does not hold a majority. The BJP also intends t consolidate its support among backward classes by giving constitutional status to the OBC commission which will accord it more power.