The second part of the Budget session will commence in Parliament on Monday amid indications of a showdown between the government and the Opposition, which is planning to raise issues such as the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, the fresh bout of violence in Manipur and India's handling of the Trump administration. The focus of the government will be on getting Parliament nod for the demands for grants, completion of the budgetary process, seeking approval for the Manipur budget and passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill. Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to move a statutory resolution seeking Parliament approval for the proclamation of President's Rule in Manipur. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is also scheduled to table the Budget for Manipur on Monday. Manipur has been under President's Rule since February 13 after the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The Opposition said it is set to corner the government over the issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. The Trinamool Congress has taken the lead in flagging the issue, following which the Election Commission declared that it would take corrective measures within the next three months. The Election Commission had rejected the Trinamool Congress claim that the voter lists were manipulated to allow voters from other states to exercise their franchise in West Bengal. Trinamool Congress leaders are meeting the Election Commission on Monday and have also rallied other Opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena-UBT, to raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament during the second part of the Budget session. The second part will commence on Monday and continue till April 4. SKM leaders to protest outside AAP MLAs’ houses The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) last week announced that it will hold dharnas outside the residences of AAP MLAs on Monday in protest against the Punjab Police's action against farmers. A decision in this regard was taken by an emergency meeting held by the SKM in Ludhiana. The meeting came a day after the Punjab Police thwarted the farmers' attempt to go to Chandigarh on the SKM's call for a week-long dharna beginning Wednesday, as multiple checkpoints were set up across the state and security was stepped up at all entry points of the Union Territory (UT). The SKM, a conglomerate of more than 30 farmer bodies, had given the call for the sit-in at Chandigarh in support of the farmers' various demands, including purchase of six crops at minimum support price (MSP) by the state government. In the meeting held in Ludhiana on Thursday, the SKM leaders strongly condemned the Punjab Police's action against the farmers. Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal) general secretary Harinder Singh Lakhowal said in the meeting that a decision has been taken to hold 'dharnas' outside the residences of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators on March 10 from 11 am to 3 pm. He slammed the AAP government for preventing the farmers from going to the UT to raise their voices. Mahila Congress to demand women’s reservation The All India Mahila Congress on Saturday celebrated International Women's Day by announcing a Parliament siege on March 10 for the implementation of women's reservation. All India Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba also announced that they would organise a protest dharna at Jantar Mantar on Monday to press the central government for early implementation of women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies. She said the All India Mahila Congress is going to lay siege to Parliament Monday and will stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar for an immediate implementation of the 33 per cent women reservation law. Lamba said that Mahila Congress will soon begin disbursing 10 sanitary napkins free of cost to rural women in a month from its pocket and with the help of some CSR funds. Atishi to visit Goa Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi will arrive in Goa on March 10 for a day-long visit, during which she will inaugurate a party office, a senior functionary said last week. The AAP's Goa president Amit Palekar told PTI that the former Delhi Chief Minister will inaugurate the party's office in South Goa and hold a meeting with core committee members of the local unit. The AAP has two MLAs, Venzy Viegas (Benaulim) and Cruz Silva (Velim), in the Assembly. This will be Atishi's first visit to the coastal state after the party's debacle in the Delhi elections. She was the party's Goa in-charge during the 2022 elections. – With PTI inputs
