Elections must not hamper Budget session: Modi

New Delhi: The Budget session of the parliament must not be impacted by the assembly elections going on in seven states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. In his traditional pre-session address of the Budget session started today, Modi said that elections happen, but Budget Session is very important, NDTV reported.

He said that the more successful the session, the better the year would be for the country, making it touch economic heights. Elections had affected the parliament's discussions, but elections have their own place and must continue. An open dialogue is needed in parliament, but budget sets the tone for the whole year, and thus it is more important, Modi said.

Further, Modi said that discussions must be of good intentions during the Budget session. Opened minded discussions in these sessions could impart global impact, and he expressed his hope that all MPs and political parties will have quality discussions that would lead the country through the path of development, he said.

The Modi government is going to face the Opposition regarding allegations made by a New York Times report about the controversial Israeli spyware, Pegasus. The Opposition had announced their plans to raise it immediately in the parliament.

In a roughly 2 billion US dollar deal between India-Israel, spyware and a missile system were the main products India acquired. The monsoon session of the parliament was marred with protests by the Opposition on the allegations that the Modi government had targeted journalists, officers, politicians, activists and judges.