The Union Budget will be presented on February 1, a Sunday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has confirmed.
Birla was on Monday briefing the media about the upcoming Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) to be hosted by Parliament.
Asserting that the “dignity of Parliament is non-negotiable”, Birla also said action would be taken against a Trinamool Congress MP who was allegedly caught vaping inside the House.
This will be the first instance in recent memory of a budget being presented on a Sunday. In 1999, the budget presentation was advanced by a day as February 28 fell on a Sunday. The convention of presenting the budget on February 28 was changed to February 1 by the Narendra Modi government.
“The Union budget will be presented at 11am on Sunday, February 1. Elected representatives are public servants and they are expected to work on all days without taking a break,” Birla said when asked whether the government would stick to the designated budget day as it fell on a Sunday.
Parliament is not in session on Saturdays and Sundays, barring special occasions.
Elaborating on the conference scheduled during January 15-16, Birla said it would deliberate on “shared parliamentary values, democratic governance and institutional cooperation”. It will also discuss the role of artificial intelligence in Parliament and the impact of social media on parliamentarians. Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the conference on January 15.
Birla said 42 of the 53 Commonwealth countries had confirmed their participation. Notable absentees include Pakistan and Bangladesh. While Bangladesh currently does not have a Speaker, Birla declined to comment on Pakistan’s absence.
“Participation will be high this time, but some countries will be unable to attend for various reasons, primarily because their parliaments will be in session,” he said. “CSPOC 2026, being hosted by India, will be historic in terms of participation, from 67 member parliaments, 61 presiding officers are participating,” he added.
Asked about the probe into the alleged use of an e-cigarette by a Trinamool member inside the House during the winter session, Birla did not rule out “exemplary punishment”.
“The matter is under investigation and, once completed, it will be referred to the appropriate House committee for further action. The House will act on the committee’s recommendations. Everyone must maintain decorum. A member could even lose his membership,” he said.
During the winter session, BJP MP Anurag Thakur had accused a Trinamool MP of openly vaping inside the House and demanded action, pointing out that e-cigarettes were banned in the country. He later submitted a formal complaint, following which the Speaker ordered a probe.