The Budget session of Parliament, which begins on Monday, is expected to begin on a stormy note, with the Opposition preparing to corner the Narendra Modi government over the latest revelations about the Pegasus spyware.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, requesting a privilege motion against Information Technology (IT) Minister [Ashwini Vaishnaw] for "deliberately misleading the House on the Pegasus issue."

In his letter to the Speaker, Mr Chowdhury cited a New York Times report claiming that the Modi government purchased the Pegasus spyware from the Israeli group NSO in July 2017.

In a statement to Parliament on the Pegasus issue last July, the IT Minister stated that "no unauthorized surveillance can occur."

On Monday, President Ram Nath Kovind will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at the Central Hall, kicking off the Budget session. 

In his letter to the Speaker, Mr Chowdhury cited a New York Times report claiming that the Modi government purchased the Pegasus spyware from the Israeli group, NSO, in July 2017.

In a statement to Parliament on the Pegasus issue in July of last year, the IT Minister stated that "no unauthorized surveillance can occur."

The Budget session will begin formally on Monday with President Ram Nath Kovind addressing a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at the Central Hall. 

Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister, will present the Economic Survey 2021-22 on Monday and the Union Budget on Tuesday.

Soon after, the Houses will begin debating the Motion of Thanks. The government has tentatively set four days — February 2, 3, 4, and 7 — for the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, according to a statement from the Lok Sabha secretariat. Once the debate has concluded, the Prime Minister will respond in both Houses. The Rajya Sabha is expected to take up the Motion of Thanks at the same time as the Lok Sabha.

The other major item on the agenda for the first part will be a general discussion of the budget, according to the LS secretariat statement.

Separate meetings have been scheduled for Monday by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to ensure the smooth operation of both Houses.

In the afternoon, Mr Birla will preside over the Lok Sabha's Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which will decide on the House's agenda for the week.

The main opposition party, the Congress, has stated that it will reach out to like-minded parties to raise key issues such as alleged Chinese incursions, the sale of Air India, the demand for a relief package for the families of COVID-19 victims, and recent incidents of hate speeches, among others. 

However, the Pegasus snooping scandal, which ruined the Monsoon session last year, has the potential to derail other issues.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "treason" on Saturday, escalating his criticism of the Prime Minister and the government. Mr. Gandhi's phone number is said to be among a list of numbers that could be hacked using spyware. 

"The Prime Minister stated that now is the best time to set new goals in the India-Israel relationship." Of course, now is the time to inquire about Israel's advanced version of the Pegasus spyware. The most recent transaction was for $2 billion. This time, India can do better. We can give them $4 billion if we get more sophisticated spyware before the 2024 elections," tweeted former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday.

The Budget session takes place in the midst of an election campaign in five states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur — that begins on February 10 and will last until March 7.