Ahead of the Parliament session, beginning July 18, the Government has called an all-party meeting on Sunday to ensure the smooth conduct of the session, wherein the BJP is expected to raise the issue of Uniform Civil Code with a pilot Bill already on the anvil.
There has been some movement on the issue of UCC even in the States like Uttarakhand where the Government has formed an expert committee headed by a Supreme Court judge for implementing it.
Prior to the all-party meeting, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has convened a meeting of floor leaders on Saturday while Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will meet the floor leaders of various parties on Sunday. The session will witness the election of a new President of India in place of the incumbent Ram Nath Kovind. The result will be declared on July 24.
NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is expected to win by a big margin as several non-NDA parties and even sections of the opposition have supported her. The ruling BJD in Odisha was the first to back Murmu, a tribal woman belonging to the Santhal tribe of the State. YSRCP and JDU are also supporting Murmu even as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said his MLAs will vote for her.
The next President is likely to take oath on July 25.
This will also be the last session for Vice President Naidu of his tenure ending on August 10. The notification for holding the election to the VP’s post has been made and the last date for filing nominations is July 19. Both the ruling BJP and the opposition are yet to name their vice-presidential nominees.
The customary meeting of all parties has been called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi to discuss the agenda and seek their support and cooperation for the smooth and productive functioning of the Parliament session. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be present during the meeting.
Birla has invited floor leaders of various parties for a meeting on Saturday evening at 4 pm. Naidu has convened the meeting on July 17 at 6 pm. The Monsoon session of Parliament begins on July 18 and will continue till August 12.
It is expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, like in past, may attend the meeting and interact with the opposition leaders, sources said.
Among the bills pending in Parliament are Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022; The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022; The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021; and The Anti-Doping Bill, 2021.
The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021, and The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, have been sent to the respective standing committee.