BJP parliamentary party meeting begins

On July 25 morning, a parliamentary party meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began to chalk out the strategy for the Monsoon Session of the Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishanaw among others were seen arriving for the meeting that began at 9:30 am.

The meeting had been convened to discuss crucial organisational matters with party MPs.

On July 24, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned amidst uproarious scenes with the Opposition demanding a statement by the prime minister on the violence in Manipur.

The first two days of the monsoon session last week saw a similar ruckus leading to nearly zero functioning of Parliament.

Significantly the members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) will meet today at the office of Congress national president and the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge to chalk out a floor management strategy before the Upper House goes into session.

The Monsoon Session, which began on July 20, with a long list of legislative businesses on the agenda, has seen repeated adjournments in the face of Opposition protests, sloganeering, and ruckus by members of the fledgling grand Opposition alliance over its demand for a statement from PM Modi on the Manipur situation.

On July 24, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till July 25 after Union Home Minister Amit Shah faced constant disturbance and heckling from the Opposition benches even as he insisted that the Centre was ready for a discussion on Manipur.

Meanwhile, the Upper House, too, witnessed stormy scenes after Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh was suspended for the entire session for “repeatedly violating” the Chair’s directives.

The Chairman first named Singh for interrupting the proceedings of the House when it had taken up the Question Hour amid protests by the Opposition over its demand for a statement from Prime Minister on the Manipur violence and a detailed discussion on the issue.

However, following the AAP senior leader’s suspension, the Opposition parties sat on a night-long protest on Parliament premises. Amid persistent disruptions from the Opposition, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said no country or system could flourish or blossom without discipline or decorum, adding that the moment discipline and decorum are compromised, institutions suffer.

Addressing a group of Indian Forest Service probationers at Parliament House on July 24, he said, “As Chairman of Rajya Sabha, I am working in a manner, using everything under my command to ensure the temple of democracy, in the largest democracy, has decorum and discipline.”

Earlier, Union Minister Rajnath Singh had a telephone conversation with senior Opposition leaders over the repeated disruptions over their demand for a discussion on the Manipur situation, urging them to ensure smooth functioning of the Parliament.

BJP sources said the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay were among the leaders the Defence Minister reached out to end the logjam in Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi had  said on July 18 that 31 bills are on the agenda of the Government. Among these include the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.

Other important legislations that are expected to be taken up in the Session are the Bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated in May this year. The ordinance deals with the control of services in Delhi and was promulgated after the Supreme Court verdict on an appeal by the Delhi Government.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister on July 19, said that 34 parties and 44 leaders participated in the all-party meeting convened by the Government for smooth conduct of the monsoon session which will continue to till August 11 and will have 17 sittings.

The Government has planned heavy legislative business for the monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 20. The monsoon session of Parliament will continue till August 11. There will be a total of 17 sittings during the session. It will commence in the old Parliament Building.