
A file image of the Lok Sabha in session. (Photo:X)
If, in the current context of deteriorating democratic norms, cynics expected the Monsoon Session of Parliament to assume the by-now familiar and oft-repeated pattern of disruption and adjournment, they were not wrong! It may be noted that the Indian Parliament is the highest forum for thorough discussions and action on the numerous issues that plague the nation, as also for clarifications on matters that require detailed elucidation. The Monsoon Session, one of the longest sittings of Parliament, is as important as the Budget Session – it has assumed even greater significance because the nation has been a recent witness to one of the most brutal episodes of cross-border terrorism resulting in a flurry of hostilities with our neighbour Pakistan, which mercifully did not last long. To waste precious time in squabbling, raising slogans and, in general, disrupting the proceedings of the House is nothing short of anti-national activity, and the Opposition must be held to account for engaging in it on the opening day.
As had repeatedly occurred in the past, this Monsoon Session of the Parliament, too, began on a stormy note, with the Opposition trying to corner the government over the horrific Pahalgam terror attack. Such was the ruckus created by the MPs in the Lok Sabha that the Speaker, Om Birla, had to adjourn the House till noon, and then adjourn again within minutes of resumption.
The Monsoon Session will continue till August 21, with a break from August 12 to 18, comprising merely 21 sittings across 32 days. To have squandered a whole day merely to score political brownie points is nothing short of scandalous. Apart from the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the Pahalgam aftermath, there are other exigent issues, such as the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, which merit thorough discussions. The government has a packed schedule during this Session, with a number of bills listed for discussion and passage, eight new bills to be introduced and eight pending bills to be taken up for discussion. The key bills include the Income Tax Bill, introduced during the Budget Session last February, and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, which seeks to promote ease of doing business and improve regulatory compliance. The Opposition, too, is interested in bringing up issues not exactly palatable to the treasury benches, such as the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Schedule VI status for Ladakh, and the situation in Manipur. One certainly hopes that the inauspicious start to this Monsoon Session will not turn out to be yet another case of the morning showing how the day would turn out, and the remaining period will be more productive.