Parties brace for verdict Sunday, and start of Winter Session next day

With the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha set to table its contentious report Monday, recommending the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, the opening day itself could witness stormy scenes and a clash between Opposition and Treasury benches.

The customary all-party meeting, convened by the government and chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday, saw TMC leaders demanding a discussion in Lok Sabha on the Ethics Committee report before any decision is taken to expel Moitra from the House.

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A good showing by the Congress in the state elections would boost the morale and confidence of the Opposition INDIA bloc to take on the government more aggressively in the House. A verdict in favour of the BJP would, on the other hand, bring cheer to the BJP-NDA camp.

The government has also listed The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, which had ruffled some feathers over its provisions that seem to downgrade the status of an Election Commissioner from that of a Supreme Court judge to that of a Cabinet Secretary. As reported by The Indian Express, as many as 7 former chief election commissioners had written to the Prime Minister’s Office, seeking a review of these provisions which they felt would erode the Commission’s authority.

The Opposition, which had often accused the government of denigrating institutions, would utilise the discussion on the Bill to step up its attack. The Opposition is united in opposing the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya bills. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee has already written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging him to build consensus on the new criminal-penal laws among stakeholders, rather than rushing them.

At the all-party meeting, the senior ministers told the Opposition leaders that the government was ready to discuss any issue.

“We are ready for a discussion on any issue. But when you seek a short-duration discussion, you also have to ensure an atmosphere conducive for a debate in the House,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi and Pramod Tewari, TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien and Nationalist Congress Party leader Fouzia Khan, among others.

Speaking to reporters, Tewari said the Opposition insisted on a discussion in Parliament on issues such as the situation in Manipur, rising inflation, “misuse” of the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation, the “imposition” of Hindi through the names of laws, particularly in reference to the three Bills to replace criminal laws.

Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale said the House should discuss the issue of reservation for the Maratha and Dhangar communities, which were a subject of a hot debate in Maharashtra.

RSP’s N K Premachandran and AIADMK member M Thambi Durai opposed the “imposition” of Hindi by naming criminal laws Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.

“It is very difficult to pronounce the names of these Bills as far as the people belonging to the south Indian states are concerned,” Premachandran said.

The government has listed 19 Bills, including two draft laws to extend women’s reservation to the Assemblies of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, and two financial agenda items for the session.