NEW DELHI: An all-party meeting of leaders and chief whips called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi here on Friday morning has approved a Government proposal that the critical financial business before Parliament — the Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill included — be disposed in the first half of the two-part Budget session.

Mr. Dasmunsi spoke to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Thursday evening and will be speaking to him and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Bhairon Singh Shekhawat again before fresh dates for the Budget session are finalised. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will also have to be brought into the picture.

The Government's tentative plan to extend the first part of the current Budget session by five days to March 22 and include two Saturdays, March 11 and 18, as working days for Parliament has taken on board some suggestions made by party leaders at the morning meeting. Instead of just one holiday for Holi, Parliament would remain closed for two days, March 15 and 16, if the new plan goes through.

Mr. Dasmunsi said that the Government hoped to discuss the budgets of Home and Agriculture Ministries in detail and guillotine the rest if that was agreed. "If parties so wish and if there is time, we could also discuss in detail the budget of the Rural Development Ministry," he added. Apparently, the Government wanted to apply the guillotine to all the ministry budgets, but neither the Speaker nor some of the political parties felt that would be a good idea. The two extra working days on Saturday was the compromise worked out to get the time needed for discussing the ministry budgets.

Under this plan, parties would then be free to focus their attention on elections in five States after March 22 and Parliament could meet again for the second part of the Budget session for 13 days from May 10 to 23. Mr. Dasmunsi said the new plan would include 34 sittings of Parliament against the original schedule of 38 sittings. "We could have an extra week in the Monsoon session," Mr. Dasmunsi said.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs approved the new plan this afternoon and only after the Speaker and the Chairman agree, the new dates for the Budget session are expected to be notified.

BJP's demand

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj said her party demanded that "at least one day be given for a debate on the India-United States nuclear deal" and the outcome of the visit by American President George W. Bush.

Apparently, it has been decided that the Prime Minister will reply to the debate on India's vote on the Iran nuclear issue in both Houses on Monday.

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