Winter Session: Stormy debates await as regional parties gear up to take on Centre

With assembly elections looming large and the main opposition party, the Congress, busy with its “Bharat Jodo” yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, regional bigwigs like the DMK, TRS, AAP, RJD and Trinamool Congress are gearing up to pose tough questions and challenges to the Narendra Modi government during the winter session of Parliament.

The Maharashtra-Karnataka border row, Morbi bridge collapse, unemployment, economic slowdown, alleged misuse of central investigative agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED) and charges over Governors hampering function of state governments are expected to figure prominently during the winter session of Parliament and non-Congress parties are planning to attack from the front.

While the Modi government is planning to bring up discussion on India’s G20 presidency and the 200-odd events related to it, along with 35 pending bills, the opposition wants explanation on knotty issues like the responsibility for the collapse of the ill-fated Morbi bridge, and cases filed by ED, CBI and Income Tax department against opposition leaders like Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain of the AAP.

The Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute is also expected to figure on the opposition’s agenda with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena leading the offensive. The central government may also face questions on a similar dispute between Assam and Meghalaya that has turned violent on a couple of occasions, sadly claiming precious lives. MPs from the North-East are planning to take up this issue on priority, according to several parties from the region.

Cyberattack on AIIMS

The Modi government also has to answer questions on the recent cyberattack that crippled the servers of AIIMS, resulting in delays for patients and doctors alike. Various parties including the Congress are planning to highlight the dangers of data of patients ending up with anti-national forces. While the hackers are yet to be identified, restoration of IT services at the premier hospital has been painfully slow and it is not clear if historic data will be retrieved. How did the central government allow AIIMS to use its services with lax cyber security is the tough question that has to be answered by Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia. It has also been reported that cyberattacks took place on Indian Council for Medical Research, hinting that hackers based overseas are trying ransom attacks on Indian organisations with large IT networks.

The DMK is planning to once again bring up in Parliament the alleged role of Governors in blocking the decisions of state governments by highlighting the issue of online gambling that Tamil Nadu is trying to ban with a special legislation. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi’s approval is awaited for the legislation and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu is upset as approval is still pending even after clarifications were provided. First the MK Stalin government obtained the Governor’s nod for an ordinance, but that was not promulgated since an assembly session was announced.

Also read: DMK wants RN Ravi gone; here’s the party’s history with governors

Ravi has been facing the DMK’s ire due to a long list of legislation that have been awaiting the Governor’s approval and the party’s Parliamentary Party leader T R Baalu said the proposed ban on online gambling will be raised. At the all-party meeting held on Tuesday to discuss the smooth conduct of the session, he said some of the bills that the Modi government wants to bring up should be sent to standing committees for detailed discussions. The TRS that has been on the warpath against the Modi government is also planning to register its protest against Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan by raising the issue in both Houses.

Wait for new Parliament building

The winter session of Parliament normally begins in November, but was pushed to December this year due to assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, held along with the high-profile municipal corporation elections in Delhi. Despite the extra legroom provided due to the elections, inauguration of the new Parliament building is unlikely during the winter session that will see 17 sittings from December 7 to December 29, according to top officials. While construction work is in full swing, the powers-that-be feel that it will be better to schedule symbolic opening of the new Parliament complex in the Budget Session of Parliament that will be the first session of 2023. Therefore, the winter session of Parliament is happening as usual – at the vintage complex, while the massive new building gets constructed alongside.

Several pending issues are also expected to come up during the winter session with a number of political parties seeking modifications in the 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections and exemption from the NEET entrance exams for medical college admissions. With some states like Chhattisgarh planning to increase reservation to 65 per cent (above the Supreme Court-mandated 50 per cent ceiling) and Haryana insisting on reservations in private sector jobs as well, the Centre may have to explain a lot on the issue of reservations. The economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic and frequent complaints about unemployment is bringing the issue of reservations to the centrestage, several MPs said. The central government will also be asked to tweak its policies to generate more employment in the organised sector, Parliamentarians from the Left parties explained.

Probe into Morbi bridge tragedy

Several parties including the Congress and the AAP are planning to ask pointed questions about the Morbi bridge accident that claimed 135 lives. Who approved the maintenance contract and who allowed the bridge to be opened for the public are the primary issues that they want the BJP to explain. The BJP returning to power in Gujarat has taken the sting out of the political storm, but the question of accountability remains paramount.

Also read: Gujarat polls: Why BJP stays insulated from Morbi tragedy aftermath

The Modi government is planning to focus on 35 pending bills that are awaiting Parliament’s consideration and the list includes amendments to the constitution to modify the list of scheduled tribes in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh. Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 that aims at strengthening governance and transparency; and improving accountability of such co-operative organisations is also expected to come up. The Kalakshetra Foundation (Amendment) Bill of 2022 that plans to provide the Kalakshetra  Foundation, that deals with dance, theatre, music and other forms of art, with powers to award certificates, diplomas, graduate, post-graduate and doctoral degrees is also part of the Government Business list.

Also read: Morbi tragedy: No political fallout, no poll issue; only courts seem concerned

Fishermen at sea

The long-pending demands of Sri Lankan Tamils for basic rights to live a life of dignity and prevention of Tamil Nadu fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan navy are issues that the AIADMK is planning to take up. While G20 events are happening, the Modi government should consider these key aspects, AIADMK Parliamentary Party leader M Thambidurai said at the all-party meeting. He told The Federal that the central government should accord national language status to Tamil and take up the women’s reservation bill that has been pending for years together.

Opposition MPs are also planning to draw attention to the China border tussle and insurgency in Kashmir, demanding detailed explanation from the central government. The ruling dispensation is confident that results of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, scheduled right at the beginning of the winter session of Parliament, would provide them tailwinds in both Houses, even as a number of assembly elections are scheduled in 2023 including key states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where the Congress and the BJP are pitted against each other.