Parliament to meet from June 24 to July 3; ‘goal is to work in national interest,’ says Kiren Rijiju

“The mandate of the people has to be followed. The ones who have got a mandate to govern will have to do so and those who are sitting in the opposition should also play the role of a constructive opposition. Be it a small party or a large one, each has a role. Each MP is important. Each party will get its due under the guidance of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The role of the opposition and government is different but the goal is to work in national interest. I hope that in the coming session, everyone will have a constructive approach to ensure smooth and vibrant functioning of Parliament,” Rijiju said.

With the Opposition having the largest strength of about 230 members after decades, and the Congress with 99 MPs in the Lok Sabha already claiming that there was a share market scam and also flagging alleged irregularities in the NEET exam, it is likely to be a fiery session.

While the presidential address is expected to recount the achievements of the past NDA governments and articulate a vision for the next five years, the debate on the address is likely to see the Opposition aggressively attack the government.

When the BJP had 303 seats and the Congress just 52, there were instances of mass suspensions of Opposition members. Now, the BJP has 240 seats and the Congress 99.

With government and Opposition relations hitting a new low in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls – Opposition leaders like Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal were jailed on graft charges – Rijiju will have his task cut out to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly.

The new Lok Sabha will also see the return of Trinamool Congress’s Mohua Moitra, who was expelled from the 17th Lok Sabha for sharing her login credentials with the office of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to post questions.