Parliament Budget session highlights: No shortage of petrol, diesel, kerosene, ATF or fuel oil, Hardeep Puri tells Lok Sabha

Pradyut Bordolai of the Congress, speaking during the discussion on Supplementary Demands for Grants, slams Assam Government for the State’s public debts.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman raises to say that she was ready to reply for the member’s point but says the Opposition shouldn’t object when she speaks about other States too. 

Independent member Abdul Rashid (Engineer Rashid) says there are more than 200 members of the BJP and nearly 100 Congress members in the House but there are 200 other members too, from other parties, and they should also be allowed to speak, noting that it shouldn’t become like America’s two-party system.

The House discussed the working of the Ministry of Rural Development’s working and deputy Chairman Harivansh says that the Minister will reply “subsequently”. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh asks when will the Minister reply and what does “subsequently” means.

The House now takes up Special Mentions.

CPI(M)’s Amra Ram tries to raise the LPG issue in the House but Mr. Pal tells him to not speak on the Supplementary Demands for Grants. Congress MP Mohammed Jawed tries to interrupt.

Mr. Pal asks members to stick to their point. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says LoP Rahul Gandhi requested for the discussion on the LPG and the Centre prepared Oil Minister Hardeep Puri’s reply in such short notice, understanding the seriousness of the issue but the Opposition strayed and spoke about the Epstein files and made personal attacks. Mr. Rijiju requests the Opposition to allow the House to complete today’s slated business.

“I have a copy of the notice that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has submitted, Mr. Birla says, noting that he has strayed from the subject and no one will be allowed such privilege within the House.

Opposition continues to protest. Mr. Birla leaves the Chair and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal now presides the session. He appeals for members to vacate the Well of the House.

He assures he will allow Congress leader K.C. Venugopal to speak. 

Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey now speaks after submitting a notice. Mr. Dubey now alleges billionaire George Soros has given ₹10 crore for Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. He also shows pictures of Opposition leaders protesting inside Parliament premises and says they have made a “picnic” of Parliament by drinking tea and eating biscuits within the premises. Mr. Pal asks him to not display pictures. He repeatedly asks Mr. Dubey to stick to the subject but Mr. Dubey continues his list of allegations against Mr. Gandhi, adding Mr. Gandhi is against the country.

The ruckus and sloganeering continues and the House has been adjourned till 5 p.m.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi speaks in Lok Sabha during the discussion Supplementary Demands for Grants. He slams the government, asking why is it allowing the U.S. to decide who India buys oil and gas from.

“... whether our relationship with different oil suppliers can be decided by us, this is what has been battered. And this is a very puzzling fact why a nation the size of India would allow any other nation, the President of another nation, to give us permission to buy Russian oil... And I have figured the puzzle out. And the puzzle is about compromise,” he says.

Mr. Gandhi now points to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and says Mr. Puri has himself said that he was a “friend” of sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein and goes on to show a paper document, alleging Mr. Puri’s daughter has received money from billionaire George Soros.

Treasury Benches protest these remarks. Speaker Om Birla says Mr. Gandhi must speak only pertaining to the notice that he has submitted and this is not how the House will proceed. “You either speak on the matter in your notice or if you want to speak on this then give another notice,” Mr. Birla says. Opposition members demand that Mr. Gandhi be allowed to speak further.

Mr. Puri now raises to speak on the steps taken by the Centre regarding the fuel crisis due to the West Asia war. Opposition resorts to loud sloganeering and protests within the House.

Supriya Sule, NCP-SP, Maharashtra requested an all-party meeting immediately, especially with the global crisis caused by the war in West Asia. He also asked the government to address the New Trade Act, posted by Donald Trump, and how it will impact India’s economy. 

She said that despite the promise of green ammonia replacing imported ammonia, no progress was made in that regard. “What is the value of the Budget if you are going to announce schemes and never implement them?” she asked.

“We need to put our political differences aside, like we did during Operation Sindoor, and call an all-party meeting,” she said. “The war must end.”

Anil Yeshwant Desai, Shiv Sena (UBT), said that there is a decrease in welfare spending and an increase in defence spending in the Budget. He asked about the status and allocation of the economic stabilisation funds. He also flagged economic inequality, lack of social security, and leakages in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes.

Dr. Ganpathy Rajkumar, DMK, Tamil Nadu, alleged that the rejection of metro rail projects in Madurai and Coimbatore shows a “stepmotherly” attitude of the ruling party in the Centre. He also listed out multiple issues with the operation of the railways in Tamil Nadu. He said that despite its contribution, Tamil Nadu consistently receives low railway allocations. 

Azad Kirti Jha of West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress alleged that the Centre is withholding funds from the State. “Why are you treating us in a step-motherly manner?” he asked. He said that despite demanding funds for cyclone relief, the Centre only gave 7% of the demanded funds. He said that the State government, despite this, conducted the relief measures with their own funds. 

Shafil Parambil, INC, Kerala, said that the treasury bench did not circulate the detailed demands of supplementary grants till this morning, going against the rules of procedure. “The rules of procedure do not only apply to the Opposition,” he said. “Our currency is the worst-performing currency in Asia,” he said. 

He questioned government involvement in helping Indians stranded in West Asia due to the conflict. “In this crisis, silence is not diplomacy; it is complete surrender,” he said. “The government must address these issues, but the Prime Minister is busy electioneering.”

Shaktisinh Gohil, INC, quoting the CAG report, said that beneficiaries of the additional social assistance program, run by the BJP government, include those who aren’t eligible. This is because a social audit wasn’t done, he alleges. “Those who were deserving didn’t get their dues,” he alleged.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Shaktisinh Gohil, INC, Gujarat, said that the soul of India is in the villages. He said that MGNREGA provided employment to the people in rural areas. However, he said that the current government has reduced the funds for MGNREGA, putting the burden on State governments. 

N. K. Premachandran, RSP, Kerala, said that despite the agenda being circulated a day ago, the detailed list of demands for grants has not been circulated among the members. According to the directions of the Speaker, it must be circulated 2 days before the discussion. “How can this discussion take place without circulation?” he asked.

Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, said that the “gap in communication” is due to the state of the Parliament in the past two days. After the House stabilised, he said, we have taken up the discussion. 

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha reconvene after a break. 

Rajya Sabha is set to discuss Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), tourism and archeology, and communication connectivity. 

Lok Sabha discusses the supplementary demand for grants before voting.

Rajya Sabha took up Question Hour and adjourned till 2 p.m.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded archeological escavations in Amaravati to find Buddhist monuments in connection to Buddhist philosopher Acharya Nagarjuna. 

Minister of Culture Shekhawat said that multiple Buddhist relics have been brought back to the country from the U.K., and that Mr. Kharge himself has lauded it in a post on X.

Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, AAP, said that the development activities in Jaipur is jeopardising its global heritage status. He pointed to the decreasing number of havelis due to developmental projects. He said that the UNESCO gave a deadline of December 2026 to restore Jaipur before it loses its heritage status. 

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Culture and Tourism, said that the heritage impact assessment for these projects are done by the State government. However, since the issue was brought to him, he said he will look into the issue. 

The Lok Sabha, after members raised posters and slogans, has been adjourned until 2 p.m.. 

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raises an adjournment motion in wake of the LPG crisis.

“I try not to suspend any members,” Speaker Om Birla said. He said that it pains him to make such difficult decisions, but asked the members to question why these suspensions have to take place. He said that he suspended the Opposition members because they violated the rules of the Parliament. “This is my duty,” he said, under Rule 377, to exercise his power to maintain decorum. 

Addressing the allegations of preferentially controlling the mics of members, and turning off the mics of the Opposition, Mr. Birla said that the Chair does not have any button to control the mics. He said that members can speak only when it is their turn. 

Addressing the protests of women MPs of the Opposition, he said that he made the decision to “protect the Parliament’s dignity” after the MPs stormed the treasury bench holding placards. 

Addressing the no-confidence motion moved against him on March 10, 2026, Speaker Om Birla said the is grateful to all the members of the Parliament for bringing up issues in his duties, including the lack of transparency. He said that he will uphold constitutional dignity in the Parliament. 

Responding to the allegation that the Opposition was not allowed to speak, he said that the House follows rules and regulations that mandates the permission of the Speaker before addressing. 

Mr. Birla said that all photographs, printed material, quotes and documents must get the Speaker’s approval before being tabled in the Parliament. He insinuated that the Opposition did not adhere to this rule, forcing him to make difficult decisions. 

Lok Sabha resumed its session, beginning the Question Hour, after being adjourned an hour ago.

Paka Venkata Satyanarayana urged the government to create new laws on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to make companies rectify the environmental damages inflicted by them. 

P. Wilson, DMK, pointed to the need for representation for minority communities in the judiciary.

Pointing to a picture on a slideshow of C. P. Radhakrishnan, LoP Kharge remarked that it “looks like RSS”. Chairman Radhakrishnan said that it is an old photo. “I am RSS, I will never deny it,” he said. “Chair has no RSS, Chair has no Congress.”

Sanjay Raut, SS-UBT, pointed to the lack of representation for Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in the Parliament. He said that a report was tabled 12 years ago in the Rajya Sabha recommending a Legislative Assembly for these regions. However, it was not acted upon. He demanded that the people of Dadra and Nagar Haveli get their democratic rights met. 

Sandosh Kumar, CPI, Kerala, brought up the issue of increasing FDI in the insurance sector. He said that LIC is at risk of being the hands of foreign players, impacting the economy. 

“[The BJP] is dismantling public sector,” he said. “This needs to be stopped.”

National Conference’s Mr. Ramzan alleged that, at the time of the attack on Farooq Abdulla, the police did not step up. “Where was the police?,” he asked. 

In response, Gulam Ali, BJP, slammed the Opposition. “They have made Kashmir a graveyard,” he said. “They have kept poor Kashmiris at gunpoint.”

Responding to LoP Kharge’s question on the attack on Farooq Abdulla yesterday, J.P. Nadda asked the leader not to give the incident a “political colour”. He said that the Government of India will ensure the attacker is brought to justice. He said that the incident cannot be connected to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. 

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition in the upper house, Mr. Kharge, brought up the attack on Farook Abdulla, president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.

He questioned the lack of security in Jammu and Kashmir, as the ruling party members called out in protest. 

Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 12:00 pm, just as the session began, after Opposition members raised and called out in protest.

The Lok Sabha does not represent just one party, but rather the whole country, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday (March 11, 2026), noting that he had been stopped from speaking in the Lower House on multiple occasions. Mr. Gandhi was responding to BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad during the debate on the motion to remove Speaker Om Birla.

Lok Sabha represents the whole country, not just one party, says LoP Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi asserts Lok Sabha represents all citizens, criticizing interruptions during debates and raising concerns over the Prime Minister's compromises.