Monsoon wind blowing for govt, with many Opposition top guns missing

Congress' reduced strength in Upper House and absence of key critics should help Treasury bench push through contentious Bills

With many Opposition top guns missing, the Monsoon Session of Parliament which begins on Monday should weigh heavily in the government’s favour.

While the Opposition’s numerical strength in the Rajya Sabha has dipped significantly after the last round of elections in June (the Congress is now down to just 40 MPs in the Upper House from 46 in May), most senior leaders would be giving the Session a miss for health reasons. 

P Chidambaram has undergone a minor procedure recently and wouldn’t be present for the Session. Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda may put in an appearance but only for a short duration. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, who is in Pune, is not expected to travel to Delhi. Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party) is set to stay away as he is ailing. The absence of these leaders means that some of the most trenchant critics of government policy will be missing. 

The exception is Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy. He has announced that despite his party chief Mamata Banerjee’s directive that leaders above 65 should exempt themselves from Parliament duty, he would be attending the entire Session.

Younger leaders, especially from the Congress — like Gaurav Gogoi, Manish Tiwari and Sushmita Dev — shall get more time to speak, even though time given to parties to make speeches is in proportion to their strength in Parliament; space for the Opposition to make its views known will shrink further. 

Opposition parties have already decided that transgressions by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the economy, and the government’s handling of Covid would be priority issues.

 

 

There will be discussions on important legislation, although, on some, there will be bipartisan agreement. For instance, two Bills to replace Ordinances, reducing the salary and allowances of ministers and MPs by 30 per cent from April 1 for a year given the pandemic, are expected to be passed without much discussion. The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, which changes the date by which taxpayers have to file their returns will replace an Ordinance promulgated following the outbreak of Covid-19. This too is expected to be passed with minimal debate.

But at the other end of the spectrum, the three Ordinances that relate to the selling and marketing of agricultural produce (see Consider the Evidence) are expected to generate a lot of heat. While all NDA members will likely support the corresponding Bills, differing voices will be heard from even within the BJP. 

The Opposition, especially the Congress, has mixed views about the legislation relating to the insolvency and banking regulations: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Second) Amendment Bill, 2020, which replaces an ordinance and makes significant changes in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, putting off bankruptcy proceedings against creditors for up to a year. Congress leaders like Manish Tewari have argued that the Opposition should support the move. MP and lawyer Kapil Sibal has argued in the Supreme Court on behalf of the construction industry that the government must show leniency. But there are voices in the Congress who say the Ordinance favours lobbies of builders and defaulters and the party should not be seen as supporting it. Moreover, there is no unanimity on the exit deadline on the moratorium. 

The Code on Social Security, 2019, rationalises nine central labour laws relating to social security. This, too, should evoke a lot of discussions.
 

Five Bills are under the scrutiny of parliamentary committees. These Bills, including the ones on DNA technology, social security, personal data protection, can’t be taken up by Parliament until respective committees finalise their report. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on personal data protection is already on an extension and had promised its final report would be submitted in the second week of the Monsoon Session. Most members are certain that this deadline, too, will be breached and committee chairman, Meenakshi Lekhi, will ask the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for a second extension.