Monsoon session begins today as oppn gears up to corner Centre over temple row, NEET, E20

Kiren Rijiju called for consultation instead of a “my way or highway” attitude over the issues to be picked up for debate.

NEW DELHI: The stage is set for a stormy Monsoon Session of Parliament from today, with the opposition set to raise several key issues. On Sunday, opposition leaders pushed for discussions on the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple, the NEET paper leak, the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar, and the E20 petrol row. The government, meanwhile, has cautioned its rivals that any disruption of the legislature is bound to cost them politically.Amid indications that govt is unlikely to allow its rivals to raise in Parliament the theft of temple donations, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju called for consultation instead of a “my way or highway” attitude over the issues to be picked up for debate.“Congress has every right to raise its demand, but it can’t force govt,” he said, after Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to PM Modi, timing their demand for probe and accountability with the session’s start, as several opposition MPs, including SP’s Dharmendra Yadav, raised the issue in an all-party meet led by defence minister Rajnath Singh and attended by 58 MPs of 40 parties.

Govt lists 8-bill agenda, silent on delimitation, women’s quota

While listing its agenda of eight bills, govt made no mention of its likely move to revive the constitution amendment bill for raising the strength of Lok Sabha and rolling out one-third reservation for women from 2029.Rijiju, though, told reporters later that govt could bring a new item in accordance with the rules after discussing it in the business advisory committee (BAC) during the session, a common practice. He said people had seen that political parties that disrupt Parliament and do not allow discussion end up paying a price, an apparent reminder to BJP’s rivals of their poor show in a string of assembly polls, with once-formidable regional parties Trinamool Congress and DMK losing in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively.With several opposition members raising the NEET-UG paper leak and questioning govt for not engaging with protesters at Jantar Mantar, RSP MP N K Premachandran pushed for a structured debate over the issue, saying paper leaks affect students in huge numbers.As some opposition MPs spoke of the recent fuel price hike, BJP ally and JDU MP Sanjay Jha sought a debate on the West Asia crisis as he credited govt for its energy management, saying it had ensured minimal rise in oil and gas prices compared with other countries and expanded supply for India through alternative sources. India had no role in the crisis, but it handled its adverse impacts deftly, he said.

At a BAC meeting later, Speaker Om Birla appealed to all parties for cooperation in ensuring smooth and orderly conduct of the proceedings.