Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, the first day of the Budget session, asked Members of Parliament to set aside concerns over the Assembly elections in five States to ensure that the current session of Parliament would be fruitful and constructive and discussions meaningful and based on humanitarian concerns.

Making his customary remarks at the beginning of the parliament session, Mr. Modi said: “While it is correct that frequent polls do affect the conduct of the Parliament session, but I would like to request all honourable MPs that elections aside, the Budget session is a sort of road map for the entire year and is therefore important. We must, with all our intellectual resources, ensure that the session is fruitful and the upcoming year sees us scale new heights as far as the economy is concerned.”

“There should be free, meaningful discussion, keeping humanitarian concerns front and centre,” he added. “Our deliberations have an impact not just for our country but globally,” he added.

The first part of the Budget session began on Monday and will continue till February 11with the Union Budget being tabled on Tuesday. The government is looking at turbulence even during this short session, however, with multiple privilege motions being moved by Opposition MPs, including Congress Legislative Party leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury against Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on his statement on the Pegasus issue. Mr. Vaishnaw has been accused by the Opposition of misleading the House on whether or not the government of India had bought the Pegasus snooping software from Israel after a New York Times report said that the government had purchased it.