With the Opposition geared up to corner the UPA Government on various issues, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday sought co-operation of all sections of the House for a very productive, constructive session of Parliament.
As the Budget session began with the President Pranab Mukherjee’s address, the Left parties boycotted his address to the joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament as a mark of protest while supporting the two-day nation-wide strike called by major trade unions. On day one of the Budget session, the Prime Minister said “we are looking forward to a very productive, constructive session of Parliament. That is what our people expect Parliament to do. We are meeting against the background of global slowdown of economic activity which has also affected us.”
“It is now a challenge for all of us to take credible action to ensure that we are least affected by this global slowdown. In this context, the way we conduct the financial business, now before Parliament, will be a crucial determinant of our country’s ability to cope with the formidable challenges that our country faces. On our part, we wish to engage constructively, productively with all sections of the House in the expectation that there would be responsible dialogue, debate among members of Parliament,” he added.