If the Narendra Modi government, encouraged by a successful first week, has planned an ambitious legislative agenda in Parliament for the coming five days, the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha — the House in which it outnumbers the ruling coalition — is re-grouping to make a more aggressive assault on the NDA.
In the Upper House, the Opposition parties have already given notices for discussions on the recent spate of communal incidents in the country and on the government’s anti-farmer policies.
While the Congress, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Janata Dal (United) and the Trinamool Congress have given notices on communal riots, the JD (U), the Congress and the CPI(M) have given notices on agrarian issues.
The Opposition wishes to pin down the government on an election promise the BJP made to farmers to pay them the cost of production plus 50 per cent for their produce. It also wants to question the Central circular sent to the States not to pay bonus to the farmers, holding out the threat that if they do so, the FCI will not be bound to procure the extra wheat.
However, in the Lok Sabha, the lack of Opposition strength and the Congress’s inability to provide leadership to the parties mean that very little has been planned as yet for the coming week.
In last week’s Business Advisory Committee, the Opposition asked for a discussion on natural calamities — floods in Jammu and Kashmir, cyclone in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and drought elsewhere. The Congress, sources said, is also mulling over the possibility of moving an adjournment motion; the party is keen to take up saffronisation of education and the increase in drug prices.
The government hopes to replace two recent ordinances it promulgated with the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill and the Coal Mines Allocation Special Provisions Bill and clear them. In addition, it hopes over the next few days to pass the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2013, the Merchant Shipping (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Supplementary Demands for Grants and concerned Appropriation Bill.
In the Rajya Sabha, the government will take up the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Bill and the Constitution Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2014 and the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2014 that have already been passed by the Lok Sabha.
The Anti-hijacking Bill, bills relating to repealing of antiquated laws and Legislative Councils of Tamil Nadu and Assam and the School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014 are also on its agenda.
