Paliament (Source Pinterest)
New Delhi: The Monsoon session of Parliament, beginning on July 20, is set to witness intense political confrontation as the Narendra Modi government prepares to table a series of significant Constitutional and electoral reform measures while the Opposition INDIA bloc gears up corner the Centre over NEET Examination paper leak, Ram mandir donation theft, Inflation, unemployment, West Asian war and several other contentious issues.
The government's legislative agenda of Constitution(130th Amendment) Bill, which seeks to mandate that the Prime Minister, a Chief Minister or a cabinet Minister automatically vacate office if they remain in judicial custody for 30 consecutive days. The proposal is likely to trigger vigorous debate.
Another major item on the government's agenda is a renewed push for the Women's Reservation Bill linked to Delimitation. After its earlier attempt failed, the NDA is expected to reintroduce the Constitution(131st Amendment) Bill to operationalise 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State legislators through a fresh delimitation exercise.
The Parliamentary arithmetic has also shifted since the previous session following defections from regional parties, particularly the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena(UBT), which have strengthened the NDA's numbers and brought it close to the Two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.
The revised political landscape is expected to influence the government's legislative strategy, while Speaker Om Birla's decisions on recognising defecting members and revised seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha are also likely to draw considerable attention.
The Opposition, meanwhile, is preparing a coordinated offensive on issues it says have caused widespread public concern. These include NEET examination paper leakage, Ram temple donation theft, Political defections, Economic issues as well as present Gulf War.
