New Delhi:Fresh from its assembly polls successes, a confident BJP-led govern-ment is expected to push for the passage of key econo-mic bills, including on the insurance sector, in the winter session of parliament beginning Monday.
But the depleted opposi-tion has vowed to expose the “double speak” of the Bhratiya Janata Party and oppose the dilution of legislation passed by the previous Congress-led gov-ernment.The session is being held after Prime Minster Narendra Modi scripted a historic success for his party in Haryana and Maharashtra, boosting the confidence of a government that will soon complete six months in office.
The session, the first after the expansion of the council of ministers this month, will have 22 sittings and will end Dec 23.
The session will coincide with assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand. In both states, the BJP is confident of taking power or, in Kashmir, at least be a kingmaker.The session will see a unity of sorts by the opposition after the Lok Sabha rout. The Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Jana-ta Dal and Janata Dal-Secular have agreed to team up in parliament.
“There will be coordination among these parties,” JD-U’s K.C. Tyagi told IANS. He said the government would find the going tough if it tried to pass the insurance amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha where it does not have a majority.
The bill, which seeks to raise foreign direct invest-ment (FDI) in the insurance sector to 49 percent from 26 percent now, is being exami-ned by a select committee of the Rajya Sabha.
States have voiced concern on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. Differences have also cropped up over govern-ment efforts to dilute MNREGA and the Land Acquisition bill. Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said his party will expose the “double speak” of the BJP on the insurance and GST bills.
“When we pushed for their passage, the BJP created hurdles… If the bills had been passed, the coun-try would have benefited,” he said. The Congress also wants to raise the issue of black money stashed abroad by Indians and oppose moves to dilute the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGREGA) and the Land Acquisition Bill. But the Congress is ready to sup-port those steps of the government which it feels are in the interests of the people.
The Trinamool Congress is expected to toughen its stand against the govern-ment following the arrest of its Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose in the Saradha scam. Officials said the govern-ment agenda for the session could include a bill to resolve problems related to ponzi schemes.
The government has promulgated two ordinan-ces – the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordina-nce, 2014 and the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Valida-tion) Ordinance, 2014.Bills to replace both these ordinances would be brought during the session.
Minister of State for Parlia-mentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the government was ready to discuss all issues with the opposition. “We will work with the cooperation of the opposition parties,” Naqvi told IANS.
According to PRS Legislative Research, a research initiative which tracks the work of parliament, there are 67 bills pending before the house.
“The government also faces the task of building consensus around the Insurance Laws Amen-dment Bill, for which the select committee report is expected by the second week of December,” she added.(IANS)
