Stormy winter session ahead
NEWDELHI: The Congress-led opposition is likely to attack the government on key economic and corruption issues when the winter session of Parliament begins on Friday.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be bolstered by Thursday’s exit poll results, which gave clear mandates to BJP in both Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, the home state of PM Narendra Modi.
Sources in both camps indicated that the impact of the Gujarat results is likely to be felt in the House. “Even if the Congress is unable to get majority but increases its tally in the Gujarat assembly, we will certainly see a more aggressive face of the principal opposition party,” said a senior party strategist.
The session’s first full day will be on Monday — when assembly election results will be declared — and it is likely to be adjourned after obituary references to three former parliamentarians.
The government pushed back the session from its usual schedule to ensure it doesn’t clash with the Gujarat campaign. The BJP, however, faced flak from opposition parties, which accused the government of trying to curtail the length of the session.
The government has listed nine new bills, including one to criminalise instant triple talaq, for the short session. It also intends to pass 24 bills which are stuck in either of the two houses.
The Congress, along with other opposition parties such as the Left, Trinamool Congress and DMK, had often stalled the government’s bills in Rajya Sabha and disrupted proceedings in the Lower House, where the Bjp-led NDA enjoys a brute majority.
Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, who spoke about
tough measures against disruptions, told Rajya Sabha TV on Thursday the Opposition must have ways to express their views.
“My appeal to the government is to allow opposition to express their point of view,” he said.
Naidu, who will run his first full session as chairman, also added that if the government and opposition can’t agree on debates and smooth proceedings, he will “decide how to run the House”. “If they agree, then fine. Otherwise, as the chairman, I will decide to
how to run the House,” he added.
In the monsoon session, the Lok Sabha functioned for just 67% of its allotted time while the Upper House could utilise only 72% of the allotted time.
Naidu reminded MPS that the House has to effectively highlight the will, aspirations and hope of the people but also added that the lawmakers should respect the mandate. “At the end of it you can either talk out or walk out,” said Naidu, in an apparent signal to the opposition.