Top News

• 2026 budget session begins
• Govt insists on developed India Act
• On the very first day, government-opposition face-to-face

Budget Session 2026: The much-awaited Budget Session 2026 of Parliament will begin on Wednesday in New Delhi. The session will begin with President Draupadi Murmu’s address to the joint session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. However, even before the start of the session, an all-party meeting broke out between the government and opposition parties.

The budget session of Parliament will formally begin on Wednesday with an address by President Draupadi Murmu. Traditionally, the first session of the year begins with the President’s Address, which outlines the government’s future plans and achievements. Then the Union Budget will be presented on February 1. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju explained that since this is the first session of the year, a detailed list of government business is usually shared only after the President’s address.

The ‘Developed India-Ji Ram Ji Act’ was the focus of discussion in the all-party meeting held before the session began. Opposition parties demanded discussions on the Electoral Roll Act and the Special Intensive Reforms (SIR), which the central government flatly rejected. Defending the government, the minister clearly stated that once a law is enacted in the country, it is mandatory to follow it. The government made it clear that there was no question of going into reverse gear in the legislative process. However, the government has assured that opposition parties can raise their issues during the President’s address and the budget debate.

There is widespread displeasure in the opposition with the functioning of the government. CPM MP John Brittas accused the government of following a strategy of “suspense and stomp”. Opposition leaders say they were given blank documents at meetings and were not included in the legislative agenda, raising doubts about the government’s intentions.

Congress has also made it clear to adopt an aggressive stance in this session. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh objected to the lack of clarity in the agenda of the session. As the main opposition party, Congress will highlight foreign policy, US tariffs, depreciating rupee, MGNREGA and farmers’ issues in the House. The Congress has alleged that the government is taking away the democratic opportunity for debate by introducing bills without prior notice at the last minute.

Not only national but also regional issues will dominate the session. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in an all-party meeting strongly raised the issues faced by farmers of Odisha and delay in getting crop insurance and demanded immediate action from the government.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has caught the government in a quandary by raising the issue of alleged misuse of central institutions. Citing the raid on I-PAC, the Trinamool Congress alleged that the government was using the investigative agencies for political vendetta. All in all, the 2026 budget session is likely to be a stormy one, as the government is determined to push forward with its development agenda, while the opposition is all set to go berserk on economic and policy fronts.