New Delhi: The Union government on Tuesday turned down opposition demands for fresh deliberations on the VB-G RAM G Act and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls during the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said both matters had already been discussed in detail in the two Houses and ruled out reopening them, remarking that “we cannot reverse the gear.”
Rijiju spoke after an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the eve of the session. The meeting was attended by 51 leaders, including Union ministers, representing 39 political parties.
The Budget Session will begin on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to table the Economic Survey on Thursday and present the Union Budget on February 1, which falls on a Sunday.
At the all-party meeting, opposition leaders such as Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and CPI(M) MP John Brittas objected to the non-circulation of government business for the session. Rijiju said the list of business would be shared in due course. According to sources, opposition parties sought discussions on several issues, including the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the VB-G RAM G employment guarantee law that replaced the MGNREGA scheme, tariffs imposed by the United States on Indian goods, foreign policy, air pollution, the state of the economy, and proposals to restrict social media access for early teenagers. Responding to objections over the VB-G RAM G Act, which was passed during the Winter Session, Rijiju said, “Once a law is before the nation, we have to follow it. We cannot reverse the gear and go back to the past.” He added that issues raised by opposition MPs could be taken up during the debate on the President’s address and the Budget.
While appealing for cooperation to ensure smooth proceedings, Rijiju said the government’s priority in the first phase of the session would be the Motion of Thanks to the President and the general budget discussion. The first part of the session will conclude on February 13. Parliament will reconvene on March 9 after a three-week recess for scrutiny of budget proposals by department-related standing committees.
Opposition leaders maintained that their concerns must be heard for Parliament to function effectively. Ahead of the session, the BJP and the Congress held separate strategy meetings. At its meeting, senior Congress leaders decided to continue raising issues related to MGNREGA and SIR and to seek clarity on economic and foreign policy questions amid global tensions. “This is an arrogant government. With the entire opposition raising the issue and despite so many strictures and judgements of the Supreme Court, the manner in which this government is behaving and moving forward on SIR, we feel this SIR issue needs to be raised at a bigger level,” Congress Rajya Sabha whip Naseer Hussain told reporters.
Rijiju said extensive discussions on electoral reforms, including SIR, had already taken place in the previous session. “All members were given ample time, and parties exhausted their energy,” he said, adding that members should raise issues without creating ruckus. Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose said opposition parties underlined that Parliament is not a “one-way street” and that adequate time must be provided for debate and committee scrutiny of Bills. Brittas said the CPI(M) demanded structured discussions on foreign policy, labour codes, Centre-state relations and the replacement of MGNREGA by VB-G RAM G. He also called for debate on India’s response to actions by former US President Donald Trump and the US administration, and on developments related to Palestine, Iran and Venezuela. DMK leader T R Baalu said his party raised concerns over Tamil Nadu fishermen, the Hosur airport project, retrieval of Katchatheevu, US tariffs, and the Madurai and Coimbatore metro projects. BJD leader Sasmit Patra said his party would focus on farmers’ livelihoods and law and order in Odisha. TDP leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu sought discussions on free trade agreements, regulation of social media access for those under 16, probity in public life, legislative backing for the Amaravati Capital Bill, and clarity on the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, to protect tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh.