Monsoon Session begins today: PM urges MPs for fruitful session
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday. A host of issues, including the Agnipath recruitment scheme, economy, and security, among others is expected to be raised by the Opposition. A controversy over listing unparliamentary words and circulars disallowing any protest and dharna in the Parliament complex is already brewing. Meanwhile, the government is also gearing up to table 32 Bills this session.
Why does this story matter?
During this Monsoon Session, the president and vice president will also be elected. On the first day of the session, MPs will vote in the presidential election in Parliament polling booths, followed by counting on Thursday. Two separate bills for Constitutional amendment to modify the list of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh will also be taken up.
All-party meeting held on Sunday
An all-party meet was held on Sunday and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi asserted the government wanted discussions in a democratic way. The Opposition leaders demanded a discussion on the Agnipath scheme, and other important issues such as price rise and the economic status. Seeking cooperation, Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said a good monsoon session would be a "farewell gift" for him.
Bills the government seeks to introduce
Some Bills to be introduced include the Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, the Development of Enterprises and Services Hubs Bill, which recommends revising the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) (Amendment) Bill, and the Competition (Amendment) Bill. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge questioned how 32 Bills would get passed in 14 days.
PM Modi urges MPs to make Monsoon Session productive
Ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged MPs to hold deep discussions and make the session as fruitful and productive as possible. PM Modi said Parliament functions and takes the best decisions with everyone's prayaas (efforts). This session is also important because elections for the office of President and Vice President are taking place, he said.
New list of banned words in Parliament
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Secretariat on Thursday released a long list of words that have been ruled unparliamentary for usage in Parliament. The usage of words such as jumlajeevi, baal buddhi, COVID spreader, and Snoopgate would be prohibited in both the Houses, according to the new booklet. Other terms on the list include ashamed, abused, betrayed, corrupt, drama, hypocrisy, and incompetent.
Congress to raise inflation, unemployment, deterioating economy, Agnipath issues
The Congress party, the single largest opposition party in the current Parliament, has decided on three key issues that will be raised in Parliament during the session. These include growing fuel prices, the Agnipath scheme, unemployment, and the rupee's depreciation against the US dollar. Top Congress members gathered on Thursday to discuss tactics and decide which issues would be addressed during the session.
