Ready To Discuss All Issues As Per Rules: Minister Ahead Of Budget Session

Ahead of Parliament's Budget session, Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday said the government was ready to discuss all issues as per rules.

The Budget session of Parliament, the last of the present Lok Sabha before parliamentary elections are announced, begins on January 31 and will conclude on February 9.

Responding to a question on the opposition's allegation that the government was not allowing it to raise issues in the House, the minister of state for Parliamentary Affairs said, "We are ready to discuss every issue that the speaker of the Lok Sabha and the chairman of the Rajya Sabha decide under the rules." "We have always done this. We appeal (to the opposition) to give notices to the speaker and the chairman and if they accept, then we are ready for discussion," Meghwal told PTI-Video.

Asked about his expectations from the session, he said it will be a short session.

The President will address the joint sitting of the two Houses. The Interim Budget will be presented on February 1. There will be a debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address followed by a discussion on the Interim Budget, he said.

"I think everyone should participate in this discussion," he added.

Responding to a question on the opposition raking up the issue of suspension of nearly 150 MPs from both the Houses, Meghwal, who also heads the law ministry, said all parties had agreed with the speaker on not bringing placards in the House.

Despite the assurance, they displayed placards and disrupted proceedings.

"The Lok Sabha speaker warned them but they persisted. They didn't even listen to the speaker. The speaker had to take action then. The Rajya Sabha chairman also took similar action," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)