Budget Session:The Budget session of the Parliament will commence on Wednesday, with opposition parties set to press issues like MGNREGA and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Proceedings will open with a joint address to both Houses by President Droupadi Murmu. The session will be held in two phases, the first from January 28 to February 13, and the second from March 9 to April 2, setting the stage for weeks of legislative and political activity.
Budget Timeline and Key Meetings
The Union Budget for 2026-27 will be presented on February 1 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. A day earlier, on January 31, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to convene an all-party meeting, a customary exercise aimed at building consensus and ensuring smooth conduct of proceedings before the Budget is tabled in Parliament.
As the government readies its fiscal roadmap, opposition parties are simultaneously sharpening their strategy, signalling that the session will extend beyond budgetary debates into broader political and governance concerns.
Opposition Flags MGNREGA, SIR and Other Concerns
According to PTI, the opposition plans to corner the Centre on issues including the National Rural Employment Bill, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise, and environmental matters. These themes are expected to dominate discussions and interventions during the session.
On Tuesday, the Congress Parliamentary Party’s strategy group met at the residence of Sonia Gandhi, its chairperson, to finalise priorities for the session. The meeting focused on several key issues, including the VB G RAM Act and the SIR exercise.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the meeting, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, concluded that MGNREGA would be the opposition’s primary focus. He added that environmental concerns, along with issues related to Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and foreign policy, would also be raised during the session. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were among those present, Hussain told PTI.
Kharge has also called another meeting on Wednesday, just ahead of the start of the Budget session, to finalise a coordinated opposition strategy in Parliament, underscoring the intent to mount a unified challenge as the session gets underway.
