PM has told opposition that interim budget will be presented: Azad

The Opposition Thursday made it clear to the government at an all-party meeting here that it will not allow passage of any contentious bills in the Budget Session of Parliament that started with President Ram Nath Kovind's address to a joint sitting of both the houses.

The opposition parties have said they will await the response of the government on whether it would take up the contentious bills during the brief Budget Session and are in a "wait and watch" mode on how the government moved forward in taking the opposition together.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to the opposition parties during the all-party meeting in Parliament Library building that his government will present an interim budget, much to the relief of many among the opposition who feared that government will present a "full-fledged" budget Friday.

Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the prime minister informed the Opposition that there will be an interim budget.

The Congress and other opposition leaders had earlier hit out at the government over its proposal of presenting a "full" budget, saying it is against convention and precedent and would not allow it to happen.

Azad also said the Opposition has asked the government to take up only non-controversial bills for passage in Parliament in the Budget Session.

The budget will be presented in the Lok Sabha Friday.

"It is a short session. Most of the time will be utilised in the debate on the president's address to the joint sitting of both the houses, leaving only three-four days for taking up other issues," he said.

Azad said the government would like to push those bills, which on the strength of its numbers in the Lok Sabha, got it passed.

"But, we have told the government that it should not push contentious bills," he said