Congress wants tradition of President's address over; AAP & RLD create ruckus mid-speech

In a stormy start to the session of the Union Budget session 2021, 20 Opposition parties boycotted the President's address to a joint sitting of both houses on Friday, in solidarity with the farmers agitating against the three farm laws, among other stated reasons.

Moreover, Opposition MPs including those of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) began sloganeering during the President's address in the Parliament. 

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RLP MP Hanuman Beniwal flashed posters and raised slogans against the government over the farm laws during the President's address Joint Session of the Parliament. Meanwhile, AAP members including MP Sanjay Singh began sloganeering against the agriculture reforms in the Parliament premises, after boycotting the President's speech. 

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Congress leader Manish Tewari also criticized the President's address, terming it as "an inane recitation of a laundry list of Government’s alleged achievements". Calling to end the "ritual" of the President’s address to a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, Tewari said it is "sheer wastage of precious Legislative time."

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the reason behind boycotting the President's address is to demand the withdrawal of the farm laws and said that the MPs would debate on the same, during the Motion of Thanks. 

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Lok Sabha Speaker calls all-party meet 

Meanwhile, to seek the cooperation of various parties for the smooth functioning of the Budget session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had convened a meeting of all political parties on Friday which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, news agency PTI reported. 

The Economic Survey for Union budget 2021 was tabled in the Parliament on January 29. The Economic Survey, which is to be presented by the Finance Minister on the opening day of the budget session, provides a summary of the annual economic development across the country during the financial year.

Chief Economic Adviser KV Subramanian will address a press conference at 2.30 pm on the presentation of Economic Survey 2020-21. Both the houses will also debate on the Motion of thanks to the President's address after the budget presentation. The session will be held in two parts --January 29 to February 15 and March 8 to April 8 and will have a total of 33 sittings.

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