Winter Session starts today, BJP to pat its back on Mandir, Rafale, J&K; Opp to corner Govt on jobs
The Winter Session of Parliament, beginning Monday, is expected to witness the ruling BJP going upfront on the Ram Temple and Rafale where it has earned an upper hand via Supreme Court rulings while the Congress, in a rear guard action, may try to put the Modi Government on the mat on the sliding economy, price rise, growing unemployment and the alleged act of “internationalising” Kashmir issue as also detention of leaders of Kashmir even after two and half months following abrogation of Article 370.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, on Sunday assured at the all-party meeting here before the commencement of the Winter Session that the Government is ready to discuss all issues, while the Opposition strongly raised Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah’s detention and demanded that he be allowed to attend the House.
However, there was no definite response from the Government, sources said.
At the Government-convened meeting, the Opposition also demanded that the issues of economic slowdown, job loss and farm distress must be discussed during the Session, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. In the meeting attended by 27 parties, Modi said most important job of the House is to discuss and debate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters. The PM also said the forthcoming Session should also be as productive as the last one, according to Joshi.
The month-long Session, the second of the Modi-Government since it took guard for the second time, is taking place after the BJP retained power in Haryana by forming a coalition Government there and amid a stalemate in Maharashtra, where its oldest ally has parted ways and joined hands with the rival camp of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to put itself in the driver’s seat in the State.
The development in Maharashtra is likely to provide equal opportunity to both the sides to strike at each other depending on how the Government formation exercise culminates. The Shiv Sena has already hit out at the BJP alleging it had got the President’s Rule imposed to indulge in horse-trading.
It has also countered the “opportunism” barb for aligning with its ideological opponents Congress and NCP by showcasing BJP’s own alliance with the PDP. While the BJP too hasn’t given up, it has, nevertheless, been taking the moral high ground of taking a principled stand by stepping aside for want of adequate numbers.
The Congress, though on the back foot after the apex court’s clean chit to the BJP Government on the purchase of Rs 59,000-crore Rafale fighter jet deal, may still quote Justice KM Joseph, who wrote a separate judgment saying petitioners can approach CBI for registering an FIR, which its former chief Rahul Gandhi said “has opened a huge door into investigation of the Rafale scam.”
BJP, however, armed with Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling dismissing the case, would in Parliament press for an apology from Rahul for making “baseless” allegations. The Treasury Benches are also to make use of apex court warning to Rahul to be “ careful with words” after his “chowkidar chor hai” comment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi attracted court’s censure.
The session, which ends on December 13, thus may continue to witness a war of words between the two sides on the Rafale issue which is likely to heat up proceedings despite Supreme Court putting a legal lid on it. The BJP may put the Congress on the defensive by showing its ‘spot-clean’ image following the Rafale judgment.
The Income Tax tribunal’s rejection of Rahul’s application this week to make Young Indian a charitable trust saying it is a commercial organisation has provided BJP ammunition to ambush Congress benches during the session.
Further, the Supreme Court’s verdict on allowing 17 Karnataka ‘rebel’ MLAs to contest the December 5 bypoll, which may help CM BS Yediyurappa consolidate the BJP’s hold in the State, would also be a point of clash between the BJP and the Congress with the latter likely to refer to a voice video of Yediyurappa that this month went viral claiming that BJP president Amit Shah personally supervised “Operation Kamal” in the State.
Among the key Bills, the BJP would again place the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to allow Indian citizenship to ‘persecuted’ Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Budhist minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, on the table for its passing in both the Houses of Parliament. The Government would also bring Bills to replace two Ordinances on -corporate tax cuts and ban on e-cigarettes.
In the session, the Congress-led-Opposition would demand an answer from the Government on the sliding economy and buttress its argument by quoting the Indian origin Nobel Laureate Abhijit Mukherjee who after winning the prize on Economics had recently expressed concern on the economic downside and rising unemployment in the country.
Jammu & Kashmir, which has turned into a Union Territory, is to be major issue that may see a political showdown between the Government and the rest of the Opposition, including the left parties. The Opposition, in both the Houses, is expected to demand as why there was a ‘shutdown’ in the Kashmir Valley and why political leaders were under detention. The Government has maintained that it has already eased and lifted curfews from main spots and allowed landline connections to the residents.
Congress has already sought to know from the Government whether Lok Sabha MPs from the Kashmir including Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, would be attending the Parliament session. A confrontation between the TMC and the BJP over the issue of Governor too could happen.
Then again, ahead of the Delhi Assembly, the BJP and the AAP would vie to take credit for regularising the unauthorised colonies in Delhi impacting 40 lakh people as a legislation in this regard will be brought in. The passage of a Bill seeking to provide safety and security to the doctors’ fraternity will also be on the cards.
