Remain present in Lok Sabha for passing Budget: BJP issues whip to MPs

Union Budget 2025-26 will be taken up for passage on Friday, marking the culmination of the key agenda for the ongoing Parliament session, which is scheduled to end on April 4.

The BJP on Thursday issued a three-line whip to its MPs to be present in Lok Sabha on Friday for the passage of the Union Budget, related Bills and guillotine, a process which implies merging and collective passage of Budget proposals related to ministries other than those whose grants were separately discussed by the two Houses.

“The government has scheduled the passage of the Union Budget tomorrow. Guillotine will also be applied tomorrow at 6 pm to combine and pass the demands for grants of ministries, for which budgets were not discussed by the two Houses,” BJP chief whip Sanjay Jaiswal told The Tribune on Thursday.

In the ongoing session, the two Houses have discussed budgets for the Home, Railways, Jal Shakti and Health ministries. Demands for grants for the Ministry of Agriculture was to be discussed, but are yet to be taken up in Parliament.

The Budget process commenced with the presentation of the Union Budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.

As per rules, once the Budget is presented, it undergoes the scrutiny of parliamentary standing committees, which examine the demands for grants (budgets and financial proposals) of various ministries. The General Budget is discussed in the two Houses of Parliament along with the budgets of select ministries.

The Budget is presented through the Finance Bill, which includes tax proposals and the Appropriation Bill, which authorises the government to draw funds from the Consolidates Fund of India and spend these.

The Lok Sabha’s role in passing of the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill is principal. Although under the Constitution, the Budget has to be laid before both Houses, Rajya Sabha can only discuss and make recommendations for Amendments to the Finance Bill. The Lower House has the final say in financial bills.

Under the Constitution, the Finance Bill has to be passed by Parliament within 75 days of its introduction.

Cong too asks MPs to attend session

• The Congress also issued a whip to all its Lok Sabha members to be present in the House on Friday.
• “We have issued a whip to our MPs as the BJP has also issued a whip to its legislators and one cannot trust the BJP,” a senior Congress MP said.