Issues ranging from alleged telecom scam to Madhu Koda affair coupled with price rise, give all indications of a stormy session of Parliament beginning on Thursday.
Maoist violence on which the Left parties and Trinamool Congress are at loggerheads, problems of cane growers that have brought several opposition parties together are some other prominent issues which are likely to generate heat in the month-long session.
The report of the Liberhan enquiry commission which went into the demolition of Babri masjid is likely to be tabled in Parliament that is expected to lead to some commotion between the UPA and the BJP. The Action Taken Report will also be tabled along with the report of the Commission.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who had just convened a meeting of leaders of political parties to discuss ways and means to ensure smooth conduct of the proceedings, had spoken in a lighter vein of the session likely to be stormy.
BJP has decided to bring an Adjournment Motion in the Lok Sabha on the first day itself on the Sugarcane (Control) Amendment Order, 2009, against the UPA government.
The opposition would also raise issues like plight of Tamilians in Sri Lanka, Climate Change, foreign policy -- especially vis-a-vis China.
The Congress-led UPA is facing the session buoyed by the by-election gains as also the results in the assembly elections in three states including Maharashtra.
With assembly elections in Jharkhand round the corner, the alleged corruption by Koda is expected to generate heat in the House as main opposition BJP had already targeted the Congress for supporting his government demanding that the list of the beneficiaries in the Rs 2,000 crore money laundering scam be disclosed.
CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta said besides price rise and pricing of sugarcane and other agriculture commodities, attacks on trade union rights, disinvestment of PSUs and government’s “failure” to fill up vacancies would be raised by the Left parties. Other issues include move to privatise and merge public sector banks, he said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would, however, miss the Session for some days as he would be away in US for a week from November 21 to meet US President Barack Obama and attend the CHOGM meeting. He would again be travelling to Russia for two days from December 6 to hold the annual summit meeting with the Russian leadership.
Enhancement of reservation for women to 50 per cent in Panchayats at all levels, passage of a bill to provide for establishment of an Equal Opportunities Commission for the welfare of minorities and National Commission for Heritage Sites are on the government’s priority list in the upcoming session.
It is still unclear whether the government plans to bring the Women’s Reservation Bill to give 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures, in the session which will conclude on December 22. The Bill is at present with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
Rajya Sabha sources said that the Upper House would adjourn on the opening day after paying homage to two sitting members who died during the inter session. A new member from Puducherry P Kannan would also take oath on the first day.
