PNB Scam, Karti issues set to dominate Budget Session next week

The arrest of Karti Chidambaram and bank scams involving Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are set to dominate the Budget Session of Parliament that reconvenes on Monday after a three-week recess.

Opposition Congress is all charged up to corner the Modi government over the bank scams involving Nirav and his uncle Choksi but it will have to do some deft floor management to get like-minded parties on board to add heft to its attack.

The BJP is expected to counter the Congress attack by highlighting the arrest of Karti and keeping up the heat on the scams dating back to the UPA years. Besides, the government is also expected to burnish its anti-corruption credentials by attempting to get Parliament nod to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill that has provisions to seize assets of those who flee the country after committing frauds. The bill is aimed at avoiding a repeat of instances such as the escapes of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi.

The NDA government will also have to deal with some friendly fire from the TDP which is upset at Andhra Pradesh being ignored in the allocation of funds in the Union Budget. TDP members in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are expected to disrupt the house proceedings.

"We will escalate our fight step-by-step till our concerns related to 19 items, including according special category status to the state, are specifically addressed," TDP leaders Thota Narasimhan, Jayadev Galla and K Ramamohan Naidu said.

The Congress has been stepping up the heat on the Modi government by highlighting new bank scams and is expected to make a fresh disclosure on Sunday on the eve of the resumption of the session.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is expected to miss the first week of the Budget Session due to his visits to Italy, Singapore and Malaysia.

The Congress claims that a series of bank scams under the Modi government's watch has now risen to the tuen of Rs 39,000 crore.

Top of the government agenda would be the passage of the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill, which would complete the budgetary process.