Kharge, Other Congress MPs Miss President’s Address Due Flight Delays

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several party MPs could not attend President Droupadi Murmu’s first address to the joint sitting of Parliament ahead of the Budget Session due to flight delays from Srinagar caused by inclement weather. Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said several Congress leaders and MPs were in Srinagar for the concluding events of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra ended on Monday with leaders of several parties joining Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he capped his ambitious 136-day journey that covered over 3,000 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

Congress leaders were not able to attend a meeting of various political parties convened by the government ahead of the budget session of Parliament on Monday. Senior party MP Naseer Hussain who was to attend the meeting could not do so as all flights from Srinagar were cancelled due to heavy snowfall.

“Due to delayed flights from Srinagar airport on account of inclement weather conditions, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, @kharge ji & many other Congress MPs will be unable to attend the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament at 11am today,” Ramesh said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Due to delayed flights from Srinagar airport on account of inclement weather conditions, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, @kharge ji & many other Congress MPs will be unable to attend the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament at 11am today.

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 31, 2023

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Each year, on the first day of the Budget Session, the President addresses members of both Houses in the Parliament’s Central Hall. This was President Droupadi Murmu‘s maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the last full-fledged Union Budget of the Modi government before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on February 1.

The government plans to bring around 36 bills – including four related to the budgetary exercise – during the session.

The session will have 27 sittings and will continue till April 6 with a month-long recess to examine the budget papers. The first part of the session will conclude on February 14. Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the Budget Session.