In a first of its kind step, Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari has convened a meeting of leaders of all parties in the Upper House on Saturday, apparently triggered by the possibility that the forthco
In a first of its kind step, Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari has convened a meeting of leaders of all parties in the Upper House on Saturday, apparently triggered by the possibility that the forthcoming Budget Session of Parliament may face an impending washout as the Opposition is likely to raise a host of issues ranging from the JNU row, to Pathankot terror attack, the Arunachal Pradesh constitutional crisis as well as the Rohith Vemula incident.
The Budget Session is to begin from February 23.
The very fact that the vice-president has been forced to call an all-party meeting for the first time, reflects the gravity of the prevailing socio-political circumstances. The meeting is all the more significant since Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has been invited to the meeting. Dr Ansari had also held an informal meeting with leaders of the Congress and the BJP in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Rajya Sabha, where the government lacks majority, had seen repeated disruption in the Monsoon and Winter Sessions with the Congress and several other Opposition parties blocking key economic reform measures of the government.
Repeatedly voicing his anguish over the disruptions, Dr Ansari had in the past even toyed with the idea of possible changes in rules for smooth running of the House.
As the Winter Session of the Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on December 23, Dr Ansari had lamented that the record of this session belied the commitment to the principles of the Constitution “in good measure”.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu have also called separate all-party meetings on February 22, a day before the crucial session begins.
Mr Naidu had also held a meeting of leaders of a number of opposition parties on February 4 where it was decided to have a full-length session and not to go for any curtailment of its duration even as assembly elections in five states are scheduled in between.
The Government is keen to push its legislative agenda in the Budget session, including the pending bills on GST and real estate thwarted in the last two sessions, while the opposition is raring to target it on a host of issues, including the JNU row, dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s suicide, imposition of President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, terror attacks in Pathankot and Gurdaspur.
Raising questions over the process of the appointment of Vice Chancellors of JNU and Delhi University, a number of opposition parties have come together against the government, accusing it of “undermining” the autonomy of the institutions.
The Budget session of Parliament will commence on February 23 and will focus largely on the financial business of the government. The General Budget will be presented on February 29.
The Government’s legislative agenda had suffered a serious setback due to lack of support from the numerically stronger Congress-led opposition in Rajya Sabha. This had prompted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to raise the question of how an “unelected” House could overrule the mandate of the “elected” House.
In the Winter session, Rajya Sabha saw passage of nine bills but lost 47 hours due to disruptions caused almost every day by Congress which raised one issue after another.
Lok Sabha performed a little better as it passed 13 bills and saw discussions on various issues like price rise, floods and drought, despite repeated uproar by Congress over several matters.
