The Monsoon Session of Parliament is set to begin on Tuesday. PM Narendra Modi has appealed to political parties to cooperate and utilise the Parliament time for discussing all issues, including the the Land Acquisition and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bills.
An all-party meeting called on Monday ended in a deadlock, setting the tone for a stormy Parliament Session on Tuesday. Controversies related to Lalit Modi and Vyapam scam also figured in the all party meeting.
The Monsoon Session is likely to end on August 13.
Here are the top 5 issues that are expected to rock Parliament during the Monsoon Session:
1. Lalitgate: Congress and other Opposition parties will raise the demand for removal of Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje who have been caught in a controversy over their alleged links with former IPL chief Lalit Modi. The BJP has already come out in defence of its leaders, promising to take an “aggressive stance” against the opposition’s “false campaign” against them.
2. Vyapam Scam: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is in the eye of the Vyapam storm. The party will maintain that the Opposition demand for a CBI probe had been met. A BJP leader said the party will also point out that even the judiciary had earlier refused to entertain Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s attempts to drag Chouhan into the case.
3. Resignation demands: Congress has threatened to disrupt the session unless Sushma Swaraj, who has been accused of helping Lalit Modi, and Smriti Irani, who faces allegations of malpractice in connection with an educational certificate, resign. The Opposition will also press for the resignations of Chouhan, Raje and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, whose name figured in an alleged rice scam.
4. Land Bill: The controversial Land bill – the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Re-settlement (Second) Bill, 2015 will be taken up during the Session. However, sources said the bill, which is currently with a Joint Committee, is unlikely to be taken up as the political parties have not been able to reach a consensus on it.
5. Government has listed the GST bill, Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2014, Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 for taking up during the session.
With agency inputs
