Today in Politics | NCT Bill brings Lok Sabha to order for a day. Will it continue? Unlikely

Given the stakes involved over the NCT Bill, including Opposition unity – the Aam Aadmi Party expected the support of its new allies on the issue – the Opposition launched a severe attack on the government in the Lok Sabha Thursday. The lead speaker, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress, warned that Delhi was just the start and the government could move into other states in an attack on federalism, as reported by Manoj C G.

In the Rajya Sabha, there was a brief window of a breakthrough on Thursday, with the Opposition relenting on its conditions regarding the discussion on Manipur, so as to help the House function. However, with Friday ruled out due to private members’ business, Monday to be swamped by the NCT Bill, and Tuesday overtaken by no-confidence motion, the Manipur moment might have passed, said Manoj C G.

The BJD has proved its all-weather friendship to the BJP government in Parliament, first by extending support for the NCT Bill and next by vowing to vote against the no-confidence motion next week. It is against this context that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s arrival in Odisha for a two-day visit starting Friday is being looked at closely.

In a curtain-raiser of the visit, Sujit Bisoi wrote how both the BJP and BJD are at pains to emphasise that the bonhomie begins and ends in Delhi, though lips are sealed on at least one one-on-one scheduled between Shah and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.

Manipur apart, the BJP government has found itself facing questions over violence in Nuh, in the National Capital Territory Region, following a yatra led by the VHP that was “not properly managed”, as admitted by Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala at an Idea Exchange session of The Indian Express.

On Thursday, the efforts for peace seemed to be bearing fruit, with no fresh violence. But heavy deployment of forces continues, with 176 people arrested and 93 FIRs registered in five districts, including 46 in Nuh and 23 in Gurugram. Curfew was relaxed Thursday, and will be similarly let up for three hours Friday morning. Following an appeal by the authorities to the Muslim community, Friday namaz will not be held at any mosque or open space, Mufti Saleem Qasmi, president of the Jamiat Ulama in Gurugram, said, with people urged to pray at home.

Fingers are crossed, meanwhile, in Varanasi with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) set to begin a scientific survey on the Gyanvapi premises adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.

The Allahabad High Court Thursday allowed the survey. While the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid committee moved the Supreme Court against the judgment within hours, Varanasi District Magistrate S Rajalingam said the ASI had sought assistance from the local administration to start the survey from Friday, and the district administration was “fully prepared”.

The mosque wazu khana, where a structure claimed by Hindu litigants to be a Shivling exists, will not be part of the survey — following an earlier Supreme Court order.

Welcoming the HC order Thursday, BJP leaders said the “truth” about the temple at the site will now come out. BSP MP from Amroha Danish Ali warned against such surveys, saying: “Otherwise, this will keep happening. People will look for a temple in a mosque and someone will look for a monastery in a temple.”

In West Bengal, the fireworks between the TMC and BJP continue, even as the Assembly session draws to a close Friday. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress of not following democratic norms in conducting the proceedings of the state legislature. Adhikari said the convening of the Session from July 24 had been “whimsical”, “without consulting the Opposition”, and was now being as swiftly wrapped up as the TMC government wants to focus on setting up panchayat boards by mid-August.

The TMC has denied the charges, saying it was the BJP that boycotted the all-party meeting called by the Speaker at the start of the Session.

Watch out for the Looking Northeast column, in which Esha Roy will explore the illegal immigrants issue of the region that has acquired a new urgency post-Manipur. Is a biometric survey of illegal immigrants in Manipur, started this week, really the answer?

In her The Neerja Chowdhury Column, the veteran of 10 general elections in the country will be digging into the latest tremors in the power corridors. Chowdhury’s book How Prime Ministers Decide, shedding light on rare and unknown facts about six PMs, some of which were highlighted in excerpts by The Indian Express, hit the stands on Thursday. Last week, she advised the government to not let the Manipur crisis linger, and PM Modi to do more.

Since then, both the government and Opposition have shown some softening of stand.

(With PTI inputs)