Monsoon Session Begins: From Manipur Violence To Delhi Ordinance: What To Expect

The Monsoon session in Parliament will begin on Thursday, just two days after the ruling BJP and the newly-formed Opposition bloc had separate meetings with its allies to devise a plan ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The Centre is expected to introduce 31 bills this session which will be held between July 20 and August 11. This session will commence in the historic Old Parliament building and subsequently move to the new Parliament complex. It will mark the inaugural session in the new Parliament premises.

What To Expect?

The focus is expected to be on two key issues: the situation in Manipur and the Delhi services ordinance. The Opposition is preparing to raise these matters in an attempt to corner the government. The leaked video from Manipur showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side is expected to become a major topic of discussion on day one of the session.

The northeastern state is witnessing ethnic violence since May 3 that has claimed over 160 lives. The other key issue which is likely to trigger a face-off between the government and the opposition is the Delhi services ordinance which will come up as a bill in the session.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is opposing the ordinance on the transfer and posting of bureaucrats in Delhi brought by the Centre in May, virtually negating a Supreme Court verdict giving the elected government in Delhi the control over services matter.

The ordinance seeks to set up a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre. Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the May 11 verdict of the apex court.

During the all-party meeting held on the eve of the session, the government conveyed its openness to discuss all relevant issues within the confines of parliamentary rules and subject to approval by the Chair. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced that a total of 32 legislative items are scheduled for deliberation during this session.

After the all-party meeting, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asserted that if the government wants Parliament to function, it should give space to the opposition's issues, and demanded a discussion on Manipur during the session.

"I had participated in the Business Advisory Committee meeting and raised all the issues that need to be discussed. At the all-party also, I raised the issues...our demand is that there is the issue of Manipur which must be discussed," he told reporters.

"Two months have passed but the prime minister (Narendra Modi) is silent. I would like to request that he has been silent for over two months but he should at least make a statement in Parliament and allow us to hold a debate," he said.

Govt Lines Up 31 Bills

The government has lined up a total of 31 bills for consideration for this session. It includes a draft legislation to check film piracy, introduce age-based categories for censor certification and to set up the National Research Foundation.

Among the listed bills are proposals concerning personal data protection, amendments to forest conservation laws, and the contentious ordinance on Delhi services. Additionally, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill and the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, among others, are also slated for discussion and passage during this session.

Some bills aim to effect changes in the list of scheduled tribes for Jammu and Kashmir, while others seek to include certain communities as synonyms for scheduled castes in Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir, as mentioned in a Lok Sabha bulletin.