UPA govt likely to face a stormy winter session

Opposition is set to rake up several issues

After the relatively calm Budget session, a unified Opposition is gearing up to corner the second UPA government on a host of issues in the winter session of the Parliament.

The Manmohan Singh-led government, meanwhile, will seek opportunities to pass some key 'reforms Bills' pertaining to the insurance and pension fund sector, among others. The government is also keen to pass the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill in this session, which will start from Thursday and is scheduled till December 23.

The BJP has decided to show some aggression. It plans to bring an Adjournment Motion in the Lok Sabha on the first day itself on the Sugarcane (Control) Amendment Order, 2009. The BJP also plans to highlight the Madhu Koda scam.

The Left, lying low after a series of electoral debacles, has planned to attack its arch rival in Bengal — railway minister Mamata Banerjee.

"There have been regular train accidents ever since the new government has taken over. We would seek an explanation from the PM, as it's a matter of collective Cabinet responsibility," Rajya Sabha MP and CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said today.

The Opposition has also planned to raise other issues, like the plight of Tamilians in Sri Lanka, climate change and foreign policy issues, especially vis-à-vis China. J Jayalalitha's AIADMK will focus its energy on the alleged 2G telecom scam.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Business Standard that the government will try to pass or introduce some key Bills, provided the allies agree to the plan. The government wants to bring up the PFRDA Bill and SBI amendment Bill, among others.

"We have no problem discussing any issue in the Parliament. But some friends in the Opposition are facing troubled times and may try to divert the attention of the nation by disrupting the Houses," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.