With the government-opposition face-off over the formation of a joint parliamentary committee coming to an end, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday expressed hope that the budget session of parliament will be peaceful and productive.

Earlier, at an all-party meeting convened by the Speaker, leader of the House in Lok Sabha and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee assured the Opposition that an announcement on the constitution of a JPC to probe 2G spectrum scam will be made before Question Hour.

The prime minister, who at a recent interaction with editors of television news channels refuted that he was afraid to face a JPC probe, said a lot of legislative work has to be accomplished in the coming session, including passage of the Union Budget. After the meeting, the Speaker said she was hopeful and confident that the budget session would be a smooth affair.

Published Date : Monday, 21/2/2011 1:29 PM IST