Pranab hopes Budget Session will be smooth

New Delhi: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday hoped that "better sense" will prevail upon the opposition and the logjam witnessed in the Winter Session of Parliament over the demand for a JPC probe into 2G scam

will not spill over to the Budget Session.

"I don't hope so. I hope better sense will prevail," Mukherjee told reporters here.

He was asked whether the Budget Session will be the same as the Winter Session which witnessed a deadlock between the government and the opposition over constituting a joint parliamentary committee to probe 2G scam.

The opposition has rejected the offer of Mukherjee - also Leader of the House in Lok Sabha - to hold a special session of Parliament ahead of the Budget Session to discuss the issue.

"If they (the opposition) assure that there will be a debate, I am ready to call a special session of Parliament before the Budget Session so that this issue (setting up of a JPC) is debated," Mukherjee had said.