Both Houses of Parliament will adjourn for a recess in the ongoing Budget Session and reassemble on the 9th of next month. The session is being conducted in two phases, with the first phase commencing on 28th January following the address of President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of both Houses. The second phase will continue until 2nd April.
In the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replied to the discussion on the Union Budget. She said the government is focused on building a resilient and self-reliant India by accelerating economic growth and ensuring inclusive development.
Citing estimates from the National Statistics Office, Ms Sitharaman stated that India’s GDP is projected to grow at 7.4 per cent in 2025-26. She added that retail inflation has eased to 2 per cent, reflecting strong economic fundamentals. The Minister rejected opposition allegations of expenditure cuts in welfare schemes, asserting that adequate allocations have been made for social programmes.
She also dismissed claims of pressure on the middle class, saying reforms under the NDA government have expanded its base. Highlighting employment trends, she noted that unemployment has declined from 5.6 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.2 per cent in 2023-24. The Finance Minister further announced plans to rejuvenate 200 legacy industrial clusters.
Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, noisy scenes were witnessed between treasury and opposition benches, leading to adjournment of the House for the day. Amid the din, the House passed the Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and took up matters of urgent public importance.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of a motion against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Mr Dubey alleged links between Mr Gandhi and the Soros Foundation as well as the Ford Foundation, and accused him of frequently targeting constitutional institutions including the Election Commission, the Supreme Court and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He demanded a discussion on Mr Gandhi’s conduct and called for cancellation of his membership, triggering strong protests from opposition members.
Today, the Report of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on the holistic development of India’s tourism sector will be presented in both Houses. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are also scheduled to take up Private Members’ Legislative Business, with several members set to introduce various bills.
