The Monsoon Session which will also see presentation of the annual Budget of the first year of Narendra Modi's third tenure as the Prime Minister, is all set to begin at the backdrop of several contentious and controversial issues including Kanwar yatra order, an alleged compromised UPSC, NEET, train accidents concerning both the ruling as well as the Opposition which is now in a commanding strength in the Lok Sabha.
At the all-party meeting convened by the Centre on Sunday, the Opposition parties while insisting for the post of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha also drew battle lines for the three weeks session to allow discussion on a range of issues.
Representatives from the JD (U), a BJP ally, the BJD and the YSR Congress Party demanded the most favoured States status for Bihar, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, at the meeting of 44 parties, including some having only one MP. During the meeting, which was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Opposition RJD and BJP ally LJP (Ram Vilas) echoed the demand for Bihar.
The Monsoon Budget session will have 19 sittings till August 12 when the Government is expected to present six Bills, including the one to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act, and also get Parliament's nod for the Budget of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under Central rule.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Economic Survey in Parliament on Monday and present the Budget the next day.
The Government, which breaking from the recent practice invited a number of smaller parties for the meeting to signal its political outreach, conveyed its willingness to discuss all issues but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stressed that it should be in accordance with the rules. He called for cooperation from all parties for running Parliament smoothly, saying it is a collective responsibility.
Congress flagged the issue related to alleged irregularities in the exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, whose chairperson resigned recently for reportedly personal reasons and host of other issues, including the spate in terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, the Manipur situation, train accidents, unemployment and price rise.
The stand of several Opposition parties, including the Congress, the DMK and the AAP, made it all but certain that the political heat sparked by the Uttar Pradesh government's order asking eateries and carts selling eatables to display their owners' names on the route of Kanwarias will reach Parliament when the session begins from Monday.
Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav alleged that the move is clearly targeted at Muslims and accused the ruling BJP in the state of pursuing communally divisive politics.
The government on its part asked opposition parties to not disrupt Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings, seeking their cooperation in running Parliament smoothly.
Rajnath Singh, Rijiju said, recalled the opposition's relentless protest during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address during the previous session, and said such disruptions should not take place.
Fifty-five leaders, including the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and BJP president J P Nadda, Congress' Jairam Ramesh, Union minister and LJP leader Chirag Paswan, attended the meeting which lasted for about four hours. TMC was not represented in the meeting as the party was busy with its annual 'Martyrs' Day' rally in Kolkata on Sunday.
