Winter is gone; crucial Budget Session kicks off

New Delhi, Feb 21: After a total failure of the Parliament's Winter Session 2010, all eyes are now on the crucial Budget Session, which has started today (Monday, Feb 21). President Pratibha Patil inaugurated the session addressing both the houses of the Parliament – the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Violence and corruption occupied most part of the President's speech at the Parliament as she stated, "We have gone through a difficult year for our country."

"Certain parts of the country have suffered from unacceptably high levels of violence, especially areas affected by left wing extremism and the Kashmir valley," continued the President.

However, the main concern of the Parliament is a successful Budget Session. Both the central government and the opposition parties are extremely keen to continue with the session successfully. The government had already expressed a much softened voice over a JPC inquiry demand in the 2G spectrum scam.

Before entering the Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stated, "The Budget has to be debated, passed. We hope to bring important pieces of legislation for consideration of Parliament. Our sincere hope that this session will be peaceful and productive."

However, BJP senior leader Arun Jaitley claimed, "What was the Prime Minister doing for the last three years when this huge case of corruption was on? Prime Minister had a lot to answer."

OneIndia News