Washout on the cards
HOUSE STRATEGY Party to condemn imposition of Prez Rule in Uttarakhand, but unlikely to unite Opposition against government
Congress seeks resolution condemning central rule in Uttarakhand, second half of budget session set to be stormy
NEW DELHI: Congress leaders gave notices on Saturday asking the Rajya Sabha to discuss the decision to invoke President’s Rule in Uttarakhand, going ahead with its plan to confront the government during what could be a raucous session in Parliament beginning Monday.
The notices by Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma sought suspension of the question hour and adoption of a resolution condemning President’s Rule.
The government said on Saturday that when parliament converges for the second half of the Budget Session, its priority will be to pass the Goods and Services Tax Bill — pending since 2011 — and the Factories Bill that sets out to cut away complicated labour provisions for small scale enterprises.
But the Congress, sources said, is gearing up to wash out the session. If the Congress has its way, it could be the third washout of a session in the last 18 months.
While the Congress is expected to get support from some parties, the opposition as a whole is unlikely to be united and the NDA hopes to gain from the divisions. “Earlier, on several occasions, Trinamool and Left and the Congress have come together against the BJP. But at least in this session, any such broad-based unity in Opposition quarters would be difficult to achieve,” a Left leader said.
“The Finance Bill, Railways Appropriation Bill, Uttarakhand Ordinances, GST Bill, Factories Bill, Afforestation Fund Bill, Enemy Property Bill are on the agenda of the Parliament session that begins from Monday,” a government release said on Saturday.
The GST Bill aims to replace a myriad of local levies with a central tax on goods and services. The small factories act will free small scale manufacturing sector from heavy red tape as it will keep units employing less than 40 workers out of the purview of 14 labour laws.