New Delhi: The Winter Session of Parliament
beginning Tuesday is expected to be a stormy affair with the
Opposition all set to target government over a number of
issues ranging from price rise to corruption.
An indication to this effect was available at the meeting
of the Chief Whips convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Pawan Kumar Bansal. A meeting of the Leaders of various
political parties has been called by Speaker Meira Kumar
tomorrow to ensure a smooth session.
The Chief Whips' meeting saw the Left and the Right
pressing for early debates on issues of price rise and black
money with BJP leaders saying they are in talks for floor
coordination in Parliament with like minded parties as also
the Left.
BJP chief whip in the Lok Sabha Ramesh Bais said that
the party wanted to raise the issues of blackmoney,
corruption, farmers suicide and separate Telangana.
Members from Telangana region have threatened that they
would not allow Parliament to function if statehood demand is
is not met.
The 2G spectrum issue will also be raised by the Left and
the BJP, which has been demanding the sacking of Home Minister
P Chidambaram, who was Finance Minister when the licenses were
given.
Blockade in Manipur, floods, encephalitis outbreak,
Centre-state relations, Kashmir, Indo-Pak relations and other
important issues will also be raised.
Opposition has already indicated that it would demand a
separate discussion on the state of the economy, Indo-Pak
relations in the wake of developments at the SAARC Summit in
Maldives and the situation in Kashmir especially after the
recent controversy over AFSPA.
The first few days of the Winter Session are likely to
see BJP-led NDA and the Left parties forcing adjournments of
the two Houses on a variety of issues.
Ahead of the session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Pawan Kumar Bansal expressed government's readiness for a
thorough discussion on any issue which the opposition wished
to raise.
Bansal told reporters that during the meeting of the
Chief Whips, several leaders spoke about the need for a smooth
conduct of business including in the Question Hour.
Appealing to the opposition to cooperate with the
government in carrying out official business, he saw no reason
for any disruptions in Parliament.
The Monsoon Session earlier this year had failed to
transact much official business despite heavy government
agenda in the wake of the opposition interruptions on several
issues.
Besides the Lokpal Bill, Government plans to bring in 30
other measures during the month-long session for consideration
and passing.
Prominent among the measures are the Whistleblowers Bill,
Judicial Accountability Bill, Women's Reservation Bill,
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, and
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill.
Other key bills that are scheduled to be introduced in
the session are the National Food Security bill, Prevention of
Money Laundering (amendment) bill, the Electronic Delivery of
Services bill, the Companies bill and the Nuclear Regulatory
Authority Bill.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 20:39