Budget session begins today

Ordinances on patents, central excise and pension regulatory authority to be taken up

The Budget session of Parliament, set to begin tomorrow, may not have much business listed on its agenda in terms of legislation, except the Railway and Union Budget for 2005-06, but the session itself is expected to be stormy.

To be held in the shadow of Assembly polls in three states, it is expected to be a tough three months for the Manmohan Singh government.

The President's Address will be on February 25 along with the Economic Survey. The Railway Budget will be presented on February 26 and the Union Budget on February 28.

The session has been divided into two parts. The first part will be between February 25 and March 24. A recess has been provided for after which the session will restart on April 18 and continue till May 13.

The government, which has, apart from the President's address and the Railway and Union Budget, listed only the three ordinances on patents, central excise and pension regulatory authority as business is likely to be put under pressure from the National democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Left on various issues.

The Left is expected to put the government on the mat on the patents ordinance and the foreign direct investment in the telecom sector. The Left has repeatedly voiced its opposition to both moves.

The NDA may demand a discussion on the tainted ministers issue, since the Supreme Court dismissed a public interest litigation on the subject on the government's assurance that the matter would be discussed in Parliament.

The dismissal of the Manohar Parikkar government in Goa and the waiving of passport and visa restrictions for the Srinagar-Muzzafarabad bus service are expected to figure in the Opposition's agenda.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said apart from the seeds and the aquaculture Bill no other legislative business has been listed in the session, besides the two budgets of course. "The discussion on tainted ministers may be taken up in the second half of the session," he said.

There was no mention of tabling of the Nanavati Commission report in Parliament, he said. "No suggestion on this has been forthcoming from the home ministry," he said.

He also said the note forwarded by the home ministry to the various political parties on a rethink over the women's reservation Bill was not the "final form" that the Bill was to take.

"These are just suggestions, and the final shape of the Bill may be different. The process has already taken 15 years, an overnight consensus is not possible," he added.

The winter session was less stormy than the monsoon session. With Speaker Somnath Chatterjee having met leaders of all parties just before the session, the government is hoping that the good trend will continue.