With only four days left for the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the political atmosphere in the national capital has intensified. Both the ruling government and the opposition parties are leaving no stone unturned to finalize their respective strategies for the upcoming session. This has led to a series of high-level meetings across political camps, with the treasury benches meeting on Wednesday and the opposition gathering on Thursday to discuss their course of action.
High-Level Deliberations at the Prime Minister's Residence
A significant high-level meeting took place at the Prime Minister's residence on Wednesday night. The meeting saw the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President Nitin Naveen, and National General Secretary (Organization) BL Santhosh. While the meeting lasted for a considerable duration, no official information was released regarding the specific issues discussed or the decisions taken, while however, it's widely believed that the government is preparing its legislative agenda and counter-strategies to handle the opposition's planned onslaught during the session.
Opposition Strategy at Sonia Gandhi's Residence
On the other hand, the Congress party held its own crucial meeting at the residence of senior leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday, while the meeting was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and KC Venugopal. A photograph of the meeting was also released, signaling unity and preparedness within the party ranks. The primary objective of this gathering was to formulate a strong strategy to corner the government on various issues within the Parliament. The Congress leadership isn't only focusing on immediate issues but is also preparing for potential legislative moves by the government, such as the introduction of a Delimitation Bill.
Mallikarjun Kharge's Letter to the Prime Minister
Taking a proactive stance, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the rumored Delimitation Bill. In his letter, Kharge highlighted that the opposition had previously requested an all-party meeting to discuss delimitation, but the government didn't concede, leading to the bill's failure in the Lok Sabha, while kharge wrote, "There are reports that a revised Delimitation Bill will be introduced in the upcoming session. I once again request that an all-party meeting be convened for discussion.
Shifting Stances of Opposition Allies
The Congress party's urgency in writing this letter also stems from signals given by its allies. NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule recently indicated that if the bill is based on a 50 percent increase in seats, they might consider supporting it. Similarly, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) suggested that his party could change its stance if the government includes suggestions from the opposition in the bill. This indicates that parties that previously helped defeat the bill might be softening their positions, prompting the Congress to take a more aggressive lead. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized the government, alleging that the Home Minister is trying to break opposition parties to achieve a 2/3rd majority. He termed it a "tainted 2/3rd majority" and asserted that the Congress would oppose the Delimitation Bill.
Congress Prepares a List of Grievances
Beyond the Delimitation Bill, the Congress has prepared a comprehensive list of issues to challenge the government. These include allegations of theft in Ram Mandir donations, concerns over ethanol-mixed petrol, paper leaks in competitive exams, and irregularities in the education system, while the party also plans to raise the issue of attempts to break political parties, corruption, and rising inflation. In response, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal accused the Congress of intending to disrupt the proceedings of the house once again.
Government Releases the Session Agenda
Amidst the political sparring, BJP leader BL Verma stated that those who don't have faith in Lord Ram have no right to speak on the matter. Meanwhile, the government has officially released the agenda for the Monsoon Session. The government plans to introduce five new bills and two pending bills during this session. An all-party meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, where the government will brief all parties about the proposed legislations. While the current provisional list doesn't mention any constitutional amendment bills, it includes five significant new pieces of legislation alongside the previously introduced ones.