Govt-opposition logjam ends as Lok Sabha takes up discussion on Budget

New Delhi (PTI): Signalling the end of the gridlock between the treasury and the opposition benches, Lok Sabha on Tuesday afternoon took up discussion on the Union Budget, which had been held up for days over the opposition's demand that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak on a variety of issues.

When the House assembled at 2 pm after two adjournments, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, asked Congress member Shashi Tharoor to initiate the debate and the Thiruvananthapuram MP started speaking on the issue.

In a day of fast-paced developments, the thaw came soon after opposition parties submitted a notice to bring a resolution to remove Om Birla as Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Between 2 PM and 8 PM when the House functioned, members from various parties participated in the debate.

The business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha has allocated 18 hours for the debate with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman likely to respond on Thursday afternoon.

Since February 2, Lok Sabha witnessed unruly scenes and repeated disruptions that led to the suspension of seven Congress and one CPI(M) members for the rest of the Budget session.

Apprehending unpleasant scenes, Birla requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to attend the House last week when he was to respond to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.

Birla's claim that Congress members could create unpleasant scenes had further aggravated the stalemate between the government and the opposition.

Due to disruptions, the prime minister could not respond to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address delivered to both the Houses on January 28.

The motion was adopted by a voice vote amid sloganeering by the opposition.

Birla had last week lamented that the disruptions have wasted over 19 hours of House time.