The monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 20 and continue till August 10. (File Image: PTI)
The session comes just after 26 opposition parties formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The situation in Manipur and the issue of the Delhi Services Ordinance will dominate the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on Thursday and the opposition is gearing up to raise these issues to corner the government.
The session comes just after the formation of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) by 26 opposition parties to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The opposition has been raising the issue of Manipur violence. Caste violence has been taking place in the northeastern state since May 3, in which more than 160 people have lost their lives. The other major issue on which a tussle between the government and the opposition is likely to start is the Delhi Services Ordinance which will come up as a bill in the session.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is protesting against the ordinance brought by the Center in May on transfers and postings of bureaucrats in Delhi, which virtually negates the Supreme Court verdict giving control over services to the elected government in Delhi.
The AAP had sought Congress’s support on the issue as a condition for attending the two-day opposition meeting held recently in Bengaluru. The Congress has made it clear that it will not support the ordinance and will oppose any attempt by the central government to “damage federalism” in the country.
The Ordinance provides for establishment of a National Capital Civil Services Authority for transfer and disciplinary proceedings of Group-A officers of DANICS cadre. Prior to the apex court’s May 11 verdict, transfers and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the Lieutenant Governor.
In an all-party meeting convened on the eve of the session, the government told floor leaders of various parties that it was ready to discuss every issue permitted under the rules and approved by the Speaker in the session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said there are 32 legislative issues for the session.
Sources said Joshi had earlier told a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that the government was ready to discuss the violence in Manipur.
After the all-party meeting, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that if the government wanted Parliament to function, it should give space to the opposition’s issues, and demanded a discussion on Manipur during the session.
“I attended the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee and raised all the issues that needed to be discussed. Even in the all-party meeting, I raised the issues…our demand is the issue of Manipur which should be discussed,” he told reporters.
Two months have passed but the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is silent. I would like to request that he is silent for more than two months, but he should at least make a statement in Parliament and allow us to debate,” he said.
Leaders of the opposition alliance India will meet on Thursday morning to chalk out a joint strategy for the monsoon session.
Sources said that the meeting will be held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
An opposition party leader said, “This meeting has been called to discuss the issues to be raised in Parliament from the first day of the session.”
For the session ending August 11, the government has introduced 31 bills, including a draft law to check film piracy, introducing age-based categories for censor certification and setting up a National Research Foundation.
It has also listed bills on personal data protection, amendments to forest conservation laws and the controversial ordinance on Delhi Services for the session.
The Public Trusts (Amendment of Provisions) Bill and the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, among others, are also listed for consideration and passing during the session.
One of the bills also seeks to change the list of Scheduled Tribes for Jammu and Kashmir, and the other seeks to include Mehra and Mahara as synonyms for Mehar, Mehra and Mahar in the list of Scheduled Castes in Chhattisgarh. .
According to the Lok Sabha bulletin, a bill also has a provision to include the Valmiki community in the list of Scheduled Castes of Jammu and Kashmir as a synonym for Chura, Bhangi, Balmiki and Mehtar.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,