New Delhi, February 10 Several opposition leaders wanted Rahul Gandhi to initiate the Budget discussion as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but he suggested that this could lead to "engineered disruptions" by the treasury benches and jeopardize the crucial debate, according to sources in the Congress party on Tuesday.
They said Gandhi is likely to speak on the Union Budget on Wednesday.
Leaders of various opposition parties deliberated their strategy at a meeting of floor leaders in the chamber of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the Parliament House complex this morning.
Several leaders were of the opinion that Gandhi should initiate the debate, but he himself suggested that this could lead to "engineered disruptions" by the treasury benches, jeopardizing the debate, and therefore he would speak at a later time, the sources said.
Gandhi stressed the importance of the debate on the Budget, as it would give all opposition parties the opportunity to raise issues of the people and corner the government.
Signaling the end of the deadlock between the treasury and opposition benches, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday afternoon took up a discussion on the Union Budget, which had been held up for days over the opposition's demand that LoP Gandhi be allowed to speak on certain issues other than the Budget.
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.
The thaw came soon after opposition parties submitted a notice to bring a resolution to remove Om Birla as Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Since February 2, the Lok Sabha has witnessed unruly scenes and repeated disruptions that led to the suspension of seven Congress members and one CPI(M) member for the rest of the Budget session.
