Parliament Budget session to resume today, LS to discuss key reports

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The Budget Session of Parliament will resume on Monday, with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha set to meet. Both Houses were adjourned last Wednesday till March 17 on account of Holi.

According to the list of business, the Lok Sabha will reconvene at 11.00 am to take up key legislative matters, including the presentation and discussion of multiple reports from standing committees.

BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh and SP MP Virendra Singh will present reports of the Standing Committee on Defence.

Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor and BJP MP Arun Govil will present the fifth report of the Standing Committee on External Affairs on the 'Demands for Grants of the Ministry of External Affairs for 2025-26.'

Lok Sabha members PC Mohan and Godam Nagesh will present reports of the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will move a motion for the election of two members to the court of the University of Delhi.

The session will also take up the discussion and voting on the Demands for Grants under the Ministry of Railways for 2025-26.

The second part of the budget session of Parliament began on March 10 and will continue till April 4.

On March 12, the Upper House of the Parliament was in a massive uproar over the LoP (Rajya Sabha) and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's 'thokenge' remark.

Kharge's statement came while he was speaking about Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after his remark against the Tamil Nadu government about the issue of the three-language policy. "...I request you (Deputy Chairman) with folded hands to allow me (to speak)...'aapko kya kya thokna hai thik se thokenge, sarkar ko bhi thokenge'....", he said in the Upper House of the Parliament on Tuesday.

BJP strongly opposed Kharge's statement, stating that it was disrespectful to the chair. Union Health Minister JP Nadda said that the Congress president should apologise for his statement and expunge his words from the footage of the Parliament proceedings.

"The language used by him and the attack on the Chair is condemnable. He should condemn it and apologize for using this language for the Chair. He should take back his words or it should be expunged," Nadda said.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh also expressed dissatisfaction over Kharge's remark, noting his seniority in the House. Kharge immediately apologised for his remark, clarifying that his remark was not aimed at the chair but towards the government and its policy."I apologize to you (Deputy Chairman), I have not used these words for you. I have said that 'hum sarkar ki policies ko thokenge'. I apologise to you and not to the government..." Kharge said.

Other than the outrage over Mallikarjun Kharge's 'thokenge' remark, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan once again cleared the government's stance on the National Education Policy and replied to DMK's allegations of imposing the Hindi language onto the state.

Pradhan lashed out at the opposition for claiming that the government wants to divide society while using languages and said that the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never use language to do such a "sin."

"There are certain things going on; let me first clarify in my Odia society. Lord Jagganath is everybody. The king of Puri is not a king but a philosopher. He is a living deity to everyone. My king married to the Queen of Kanchi. My mother is from Tamil Nadu. I am the son of a Tamil Nadu lady. Another House yesterday. In my society, mothers and sisters are above everything. If I hurt anybody if any of my words, I beg an apology. PM Modi has always mentioned that Tamil is an ancient language. The Tamil language is nobody's monopoly. We are committed to the Tamil language. Truth is always painful," Pradhan said in the Rajya Sabha.