Jagran Bureau, New Delhi: Parliament’s Monsoon Session will enter its third week on Monday amid continued disruptions and political confrontation.
The first week was largely washed out due to opposition protests over the student-led movement outside Parliament. However, during the second week, the government managed to pass key legislations, including the anti-paper leak bill and the bill related to Vande Mataram, in both Houses.
After the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, there were expectations that the parliamentary deadlock would ease. However, the Congress has now shifted its focus towards targeting Home Minister Amit Shah and cornering the government, leading to further disruptions.
Congress Signals It Will Continue Its Stand
While other opposition parties do not appear to be fully aligned with the Congress’s strategy, the party has indicated that it will continue pressing its demands. In response, the BJP-led government has prepared a strategy to ensure that legislative work continues even if opposition protests disrupt proceedings.
The Congress gained momentum from the student protests outside Parliament during the first week of the session, which resulted in repeated adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. In the second week, despite the government agreeing to discuss the anti-paper leak bill and accepting the resignation of the Education Minister, the Congress attempted to maintain pressure on the government.
However, differences among opposition parties allowed the government to move ahead with its legislative agenda. Along with the bills already passed, the government plans to introduce other important legislations, including the MSME Bill and a bill related to increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court. These matters are expected to come up for discussion from Monday after being postponed from July 31.
Meanwhile, the opposition, particularly the Congress, is expected to continue its challenge against the government. The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) Bill, concerning foreign funding received by NGOs, could become another major issue of confrontation.
Since the anti-paper leak bill was directly linked to students, the opposition agreed to a discussion after considering its political implications. However, the government believes the opposition is unlikely to allow other legislative business to proceed smoothly.
According to government sources cited by Jagran, the demand for Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation has primarily been raised by the Congress, while other opposition parties have not indicated that they intend to block parliamentary proceedings indefinitely over the issue.
The government is expected to push ahead with discussions on pending bills. If the opposition attempts further disruptions, the ruling party will seek to complete legislative business despite the protests.