Today’s Parliament Budget Session: Opposition to Raise SIR and MGNREGA Issues

The Budget Session of Parliament for 2026–27 began on Wednesday and was addressed by President Droupadi Murmu in a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.

The first phase of the Budget Session will run from January 28 to February 13, while the second phase is scheduled from March 9 to April 2, 2026.

The entire Budget Session will include 30 sittings of Parliament. A day before the session began, an all-party meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was held.

Opposition to Raise MGNREGA, SIR Issues

According to news agency PTI, the Congress is preparing to raise several issues during the session, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, and environmental concerns.

On Tuesday, the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group met at the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The members discussed key issues, including the MGNREGA Act and the ongoing SIR exercise.

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said that environmental issues, as well as matters related to Ladakh, Jammu, and Kashmir, and foreign policy, would also be raised during the session, PTI reported.

Hussain added that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were present at the meeting.

According to PTI, Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has called another meeting on Wednesday morning to finalise a joint strategy for the Budget Session.