Budget Session begins today: Congress to protest outside Parliament

New Delhi, Jan 31: Congress parliamentarians led by the party's top leadership will stage a protest outside Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament complex ahead of the start of the budget session on Friday in solidarity with people who are protesting against the citizenship law and the NRC.

According to sources, Congress MPs will assemble outside Gandhi's statue around 10.30 am and lodge their protest over the government's "arrogance" of not hearing out those protesting on the roads against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The protest will be lodged ahead of the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament in the Central Hall, heralding the start of the budget session, they said.

Meanwhile, the Congress has convened a meeting of all its general secretaries, in-charges of various states and all MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on February 4.
The party is seeking to evolve its strategy over the National Population Register (NPR), which the NDA government seeks to roll out across the country.

The Congress and other opposition parties have already urged chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states opposing the CAA to not roll out the NPR exercise in their respective states.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed confidence that the House will run smoothly during Parliament''s Budget Session, which begins from Friday, following a meeting with floor leaders of all parties.

Birla said he was assured by the leaders of their cooperation in conducting the Lok Sabha proceedings without any adjournment and added that he would give adequate time to all parties to raise their issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of all parties attended the customary meeting which the speaker calls ahead of every session.