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Parliament's Monsoon Session begins tomorrow. (Photo: X)
New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on Monday till August 13 and both government and Opposition are readying up for a political battle. While the Centre is set to revive key legislations including proposals concerning the implementation of Women's Reservation Act and delimitation, the Opposition has a list of issues in its arsenal to attack the NDA government.
What makes this Monsoon Session a stormy one? The session takes place against a backdrop of at least 37 MPs from four Opposition parties joining the BJP-led NDA since Parliament reconvened in April. The new political realities will be expected to change the dynamics on both the legislative business and the floor strategy.
The Opposition is planning to spearhead issues of alleged exam paper leaks, activist Sonam Wangchuk's detention and hunger strike, allegations of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, ethanol addition in fuel, and Indian foreign policy. The NDA, on the other hand, is looking to cosset its improved symptomatic Parliament to lift and revive bills that did not garner enough clout at the last Monsoon Session.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session, the Centre hosted an all-party meeting at Parliament House Annexe, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha J.P. Nadda and representatives of more than 40 political parties were present at the meeting.
The meeting however was led by an early drama when Opposition parties staged a walkout to protest the participation of rebel Trinamool Congress MPs who had joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The opposition leaders then returned back after registering a protest and participated in the discussion.
In a statement after the meeting, Kiren Rijiju said that “all parties must ensure Parliament functions properly and that meaningful debates, not disruptions, are the hallmark of democracy”.
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The Centre’s move to end the hunger strike of activist Sonam Wangchuk has become a political flashpoint.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced a march to Parliament, adding political pressure ahead of the session.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier criticised the government’s handling of the situation, while Sonia Gandhi earlier had asked Congress MPs to bring up the Wangchuk issue inside Parliament. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar called the government’s move “irresponsible.The Opposition will demand detailed discussion on the matter.
Another issue likely to grab Parliament's attention is the murkiness around examination paper leaks.
The Opposition says the issue has struck a chord with students, employment aspirants, urban middle-class families and sections of the upper-caste Hindu voters, who have traditionally been seen as the BJP's backbench.
Leaders are expected to challenge the government's conduct of recruitment examinations and demand tighter scrutiny over the growing number of paper leaks.
Political dynamics have altered significantly in the past few months.
Sources say 37 MPs from four Opposition parties have since joined the BJP-led NDA since the last meeting.
The increased numbers may help the government bring back bills that were resisted earlier, but officials say that a final decision will rest on the changing political dynamics in Parliament.
Legislation to pave the way of implementation of Women Reservation Act and strengthening of the Parliament and state legislatures is expected to be one of the government’s key priorities
Centre is also likely to consider internal support for delimitation issues. According to the reports, the government might take up an amendment proposal to increase seats for all states by 50 per cent, a provision that may help widen political consensus
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said she will support it if such a provision is made. Even DMK has reportedly softened its position.
Opposition is likely to file a case against the Ram Temple donation issue and demand for a fresh probe into the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have already approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a probe and public disclosure of findings.
Apart from this, foreign policy, the ethanol blending policy and delayed bills such as Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill and Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill will be in the limelight
With major Bills on the government’s calendar, a better NDA arithmetic in Parliament and Opposition map a coordinated strike on multiple fronts, Monsoon Session is bound to be a frequent scene of policy confrontations that make it the most watched Monsoon Session of the year.
