Monsoon session of Parliament to begin today

The Monsoon Session of Parliament begins on Monday (July 20) and is expected to witness heated confrontations as the government pushes for the passage of several key legislations while the Opposition gears up to corner the Centre over issues including the alleged Ram Temple donation theft, the NEET paper leak, Sonam Wangchuk’s protest, the E20 petrol policy, and the earlier-defeated Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation. The government has appealed to Opposition parties to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament in the interest of national development, urging them to participate in constructive debates and support the eight bills listed for consideration. The new session, with changed political equations following fractures in the opposition ranks, is scheduled to run until August 13 and will comprise 19 sittings over 25 days.

The Centre is also likely to reintroduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats and implementing 33 per cent reservation for women. The bill was defeated in April after the government fell short of the required two-thirds majority.