As the second part of the budget session of Parliament begins on April 15, the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance must brace itself for a fairly unified opposition to rising prices and a lot else. While 13 parties comprising 87 Lok Sabha members have got together to move a cut motion on price rise, expect the rest of the opposition to join in as well against the government on issues such as the nuclear liability bill and the junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor's latest gaffe.

The second part of the budget session is significant because the finance minister's budget proposals are debated and adopted during this round. However, 13 parties have decided to move a cut motion against the government's move to hike fuel and fertiliser prices. This group, led by the Left parties, does not include the principal opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Bahujan Samaj Party, though the BJP has declared that it would support the cut motion. The group has said its idea is to focus on price rise and not to topple the government. Yet, the Congress party will have to ensure attendance of its members and supporters in sufficient numbers because the government automatically falls if the motion is adopted on a money bill.

The BJP has called for a gherao of Parliament on April 21, while the 13-party group has called a nationwide strike on April 27, on price rise.

The women's reservation bill, the recent massacre of 76 paramilitary personnel by Maoists and the subsequent questioning of the home minister's strategy by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, and the Congress president Sonia Gandhi's growing differences with the prime minister are some of the other issues that will test the ruling alliance during this session.