New Delhi, Feb 16: With the Ayodhya dispute hotting up and a host of other issues cropping up, the budget session of Parliament beginning on Monday is likely to be tumultuous amid moves by the Opposition to get its act together for taking on the Vajpayee government that has been upbeat after the Gujarat victory.

The Opposition has plans to demand a discussion on the Ayodhya issue in both Houses under a rule which calls for voting in a bid to drive a wedge between BJP and its allies that includes DMK, which has been unhappy with BJP lately for a variety of reasons.

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Incidentally, the three-month long session begins just four days before the Supreme Court takes up the Centre`s plea on Ayodhya while the VHP has threatened that the February 22 Dharam Sansad here would be forced to take a "harsh" decision if the undisputed land was not handed over.


The Opposition is also bracing up for the session with Congress President Sonia Gandhi meeting leaders of Opposition parties including her detractors Sharad Pawar of NCP and Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party for evolving a floor strategy.

Other issues which may rock Parliament are Hindutva, disinvestment of public sector undertakings, Cauvery dispute, war clouds hovering over Iraq, interconnection problems in the telecom sector and WTO.
With crucial Assembly elections due for February 26, the BJP is trying to put Congress in a difficult situation by favouring a Bill seeking to ban cow slaughter.
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said it is not on the agenda of government business so far.
Bureau Report