FM’s foreign trip gets preference over budget talks

NEW DELHI: The UPA government has rescheduled Parliament business in the second phase of the budget session commencing this Thursday to enable finance minister P Chidambaram to attend the annual meeting of the World Bank-IMF in Washington. This has triggered severe protests from the BJP and the CPI.

As per the revised schedule, all financial business will be disposed off by May 3 as Chidambaram is expected to leave for his foreign trip on May 6 and return on May 11. The session is expected to conclude on May 22.

Sources said as per original schedule, the finance bills were to be passed by second week of May. BJP’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha VK Malhotra and CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta took objection to the FM’s absence during an important phase of the budget session (a discussion on price rise is also on the anvil). Both leaders conveyed their disapproval to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednesday.

Parliamentary affairs minister PR Dasmunshi said the dates clashed due to rescheduling of the second phase of the Parliament session in the wake of UP polls. The second phase was to begin from April 18. Dasmunshi said the WB-IMF meeting was fixed much before and the FM had made a commitment. The world bodies do not consult Parliaments in any country before fixing meetings, he added.

Sources said the Speaker said he had written to the PM that when Parliament session is on, no minister should be allowed to go abroad without permission.