The government on Tuesday rejected the Opposition’s demands for the restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and discussion on the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls during the Budget session of Parliament.At an all-party meeting held ahead of the session, Opposition parties demanded structured discussions on a range of issues, including the restoration of the UPA-era MGNREGA, the SIR and the alleged vote theft.The government, however, refused to accede to the Opposition’s demands, making it clear that the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), which replaced MGNREGA, would not be rolled back, as it could not apply a “reverse gear” on a legislation cleared by Parliament.On the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the SIR and vote theft, the government said a discussion on electoral reforms had already been held in the winter session. It pointed out that the SIR was currently underway in several states.The Opposition also complained against the non-sharing of the legislative agenda by the government.According to sources, the government indicated in the meeting that the Budget was the primary agenda of the upcoming session and members were free to raise other issues during the discussion on the motion of thanks on the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament.President Droupadi Murmu will address both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, the first day of the Budget session. On January 29, the economic survey will be released, while Parliament will not function on January 30.The Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.On February 2 and 3, the discussion on the motion of thanks will take place, while the Budget will be discussed on February 4 and 5.The first half of the Budget session will be from January 28 to February 13, while the second phase will take place from March 9 to April 2. There will be 30 sittings during the session.The all-party meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was attended by several senior ministers, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, along with floor leaders of various political parties from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.Later, speaking to the media, Rijiju said as per parliamentary rules, discussions during the Budget session should primarily revolve around the Budget.“Many members raised several issues during the meeting. We have noted them. We have informed members that various issues can be raised during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address and also during the Budget discussions. Since this is a Budget session, the main focus will remain on the Budget,” he said.Several Opposition MPs from the DMK, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Left parties demanded a detailed discussion on the SIR, particularly in poll-bound states. Rijiju, however, ruled out another debate on the issue, saying it had already been discussed extensively during earlier debates on election reforms in both Houses.Later, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the party would raise issues such as alleged vote theft, the SIR, procurement of farmers’ paddy and the restoration of MGNREGA during the session.The sources added that the DMK, TMC and Left parties also demanded a discussion on the Centre-state relations and the alleged misuse of offices of the Governor in Opposition-ruled states.