The government informed an all-party meeting on January 31 that it does not intend to bring any legislative business in the Rajya Sabha during the first part of the Budget Session, which will last till February 11, sources said. The virtual meeting was convened by Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu to discuss the agenda for the Budget Session, which started on January 31.

The sources said Union minister and Leader of the House Piyush Goyal informed the meeting that since the duration of the first part is small, no legislative business will be brought by the government.

Also read: Budget Session: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha to operate for 5 hours each

The Budget Session of Parliament began on January 31 and is scheduled to conclude on April 8 with a recess between February 12 and March 13. Goyal said due to paucity of time during the first part of the session, the Rajya Sabha will only have time for the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address and the Union Budget proposal, according to the sources.

Naidu also urged leaders of various political parties to allow smooth functioning of the House during the session. The leaders assured the chairman of their support. The meeting was held virtually in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shadow of the Pegasus snooping row already looms large over the Budget Session with the Opposition ready to take up the issue after The New York Times claimed that India had brought the Pegasus spyware from Israel in 2017 as part of a $2-billion defence deal.

Also read: Union Budget 2022: Date, time and other key details

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Jan 31, 2022 8:16 PM IST