Today in politics: Parliament gridlock likely to continue; all-party meeting in Bengal

As reported by Manoj C G, while the government has urged the Opposition to let Parliament function and discuss the situation in the Northeastern state, the Opposition parties want to hear from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself before any discussions take place.

As now things stand, MPs from most Opposition parties will organise a sit-in at the Gandhi Statue near Parliament building at 10.30 am. But some in the Opposition wonder how long they can keep up the protests. “I don’t think the government will agree to our demand,” an Opposition leader told Manoj. “They don’t want to run the House. They will say everyday that they are ready for a discussion but the Opposition is not allowing. The entire blame will fall on us,” a leader said. We raised a high stake demand. Now we cannot back down.”

Productivity affected

But what will be the exact cost of a washout on parliamentary productivity if it does not function on Monday? This is what the List of Business for Monday, not including Question Hour, looks like. A caveat: this is not an exhaustive list. The document can be accessed on the Digital Sansad website or app.

Lok Sabha: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is scheduled to present the 42nd report of the Business Advisory Committee, while Prince Raj (Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party) and Tirath Singh Rawat (BJP) are scheduled to present four reports of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture.

Dharmendra Pradhan is scheduled to introduce a motion for the election of six Lok Sabha MPs to the court of Aligarh Muslim University. Among the Bills listed for introduction are the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023; The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023; and The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, to modify the SC list in Chhattisgarh.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to move The Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, for consideration and passage while Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav is similarly scheduled to move The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, for consideration and passage.

Rajya Sabha: Trinamool Congress’s newly elected MP Saket Gokhale is scheduled to make the prescribed oath of affirmation of oath of allegiance to the Constitution.

Jugalsinh Lokhandwala (BJP) and Dr C M Ramesh (BJP) are then scheduled to lay on the table four reports of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda is then scheduled to move The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, for consideration and passage. The Bill, already passed by the Lok Sabha, is on the inclusion of certain communities in the ST list in Chhattisgarh. Similarly, Munda is scheduled to move the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, on the ST list in Himachal Pradesh for consideration and passage.

 Ajit Pawar faces questions

Ever since Ajit Pawar took charge as the finance minister of Maharashtra, there have been reports of MLAs of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena being unhappy. These legislators are said to be wary of Pawar favouring his cohort of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs and allocating them more development funds. In the run-up to a crucial election year receiving less than the expected amount may prove to be the death knell of the electoral chances of many legislators.

On Sunday, Ajit’s fellow Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP came to his defence. “BJP and Shiv Sena MLAs have also been given funds. It is not correct to say that only they (Ajit Pawar supporters) have been given the funds,” Fadnavis told reporters. With the Assembly session resuming today, this issue may rear its head yet again.

Last year, one of the primary reasons that MLAs who sided with Eknath Shinde cited to justify their rebellion was the unease with Ajit’s handling of the finance department. The MLAs alleged they did not receive the development funds required for their constituencies. Even this time around, Independent MLA Bachchu Kadu, who supports the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, claimed that many MLAs were opposed to allotting finance to Ajit. But, in the end, the NCP leader managed to bag his desired portfolio.

All-party meeting in Bengal

A day before the Assembly Monsoon Session begins, an all-party meeting will begin at the Assembly at 12 pm. The coming session will be a stormy affair as it comes in the aftermath of widespread violence in the run-up and the aftermath of the panchayat elections.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday filed a police complaint alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee had threatened BJP leaders with wrongful restraint by calling for a gherao of their homes on August 5. Abhishek said at the TMC’s July 21 rally that the gherao was to demand the Central funds that the BJP-led government had not released to the state.

The BJP has said it will move court against such “provocative remarks” by Mamata and Abhishek and also on atrocities against women in the state. The state BJP has cited these incidents to counter the TMC’s criticism of the party’s handling of the violence in Manipur.

Meanwhile, the party’s five-member team of BJP MPs belonging to Scheduled Caste communities will continue on their fact-finding mission on the panchayat poll violence. From Howrah to Medinipur, they will meet the families of poll-violence victims and those who were allegedly displaced because of the violence.

Watch out for

• Road to 2024, our weekly tracker on the BJP and the Opposition where we decode how the battle for the Lok Sabha is shaping up

• Interview of SBSP leader O P Rajbhar who tells Asad Rehman in clear-cut terms why he returned to the NDA fold. “One must be with those in power in order to be in a position to give something to the poor, backward castes, and disadvantaged groups.” In the run-up to 2024, Rajbhar’s role in UP politics will be one of the most interesting to observe.