Parliament monsoon session to begin from July 21

[related-post]

It is going to be an eventful session, coming as it does, in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls, due in September-October. Bihar is seen as a second case for testing the current level of the BJP popularity under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first was Delhi, where both the BJP and the Congress badly lost to the AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal.

With this backdrop, the Opposition is planning a big offensive against the BJP-led government and paralyse the proceedings to press for the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over the Lalit Modi controversy and Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani due to the controversy over her educational qualifications.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has already said it would be virtually impossible to transact any business if the opposition demands for the resignations of two Central ministers and Rajasthan Chief Minister are not met.

As far as the government is concerned, it would like to move forward on two important legislation — The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014, and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2015. The GST Bill is currently being examined by a Rajya Sabha select committee headed by BJP member Bhupendra Yadav. The Land Bill is being considered by a joint committee of the two Houses.