Centre invites Congress for constructive debate ahead of Budget Session

New Delhi: With the Budget Session approaching, the Centre on Wednesday invited the opposition to take part in a comprehensive debate or discussion on a range of issues likely to be raised in the Parliament.

"On 4th of February, the Cabinet Committee on Parliament Affairs (CCPA) will convene a meeting to discuss and decide on the date for the Budget Session to be held and then will notify the President," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI.

Asserting that the government was always open for a constructive debate, he added that if the Congress followed parliamentary procedure and gave a notice accordingly then a discussion would be fruitful for the nation`s development.

"Our priority is that the Budget Session runs smoothly with a comprehensive discussion to help the poor, farmers and the youth of the nation. We hope the Congress and the other parties comply," Naqvi said.

"The country is heading towards development and the Parliament session should be used to take progress forward," he added.

The Budget Session, normally, begins in the third or fourth week of February but it is expected to begin on February 23 this year.

The Railway Budget is likely to be presented on February 25 and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the Union Budget on February 29. According to reports, the government is mulling of doing away with the recess of three weeks during the Budget Session in view of five upcoming state elections.

(ANI)