Budget session may be curtailed as second leg faces washout

New Delhi: The second leg of the Budget session appears to be heading for a washout. And as the showdown in Parliament continues, the Budget session could be cut short too.

Meetings called by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla failed to end the stalemate between the Centre and Opposition, according to reports on Wednesday.

The Budget session is scheduled till April 6. But both Houses have failed to transact any significant business ever since the start of the second leg of the Budget session on March 13.

That is seven straight days of disruptions and adjournments without work. On Tuesday, amid the din caused by the Opposition, the Lok Sabha passed a Rs 1.118 lakh crore budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Centre has to secure the Lok Sabha's approval for the Finance Bill in this session to complete the Budget process.

If the impasse continues, the government may 'guillotine' the Finance Bill in Lok Sabha, meaning it will get the legislation passed without a debate or discussion.

The hint that the government might opt to "guillotine" the Finance Bill was in the passage of the Jammu & Kashmir budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, where it was cleared without discussion. The BJP has accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of defaming the country with his "democracy under attack" remarks in the UK and has demanded an apology. But the Congress has said its former chief won't apologise and has remained insistent on its demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

During the 90-minute meeting, reports said, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar highlighted that the Rajya Sabha was meant for debate and discussion in a collaborative manner, and not for confrontation and deadlock.

In the other meeting, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was reported to have asked the two sides to agree to let the House run and thrash out their differences outside. However, several opposition parties have stuck to their guns on the demand for a probe into the Adani row.

Parliament is closed on Wednesday and will reconvene on Thursday.