BJP has given all indications of a confrontation and possible disruption of both the Houses on the issue of CBI charge sheeting a Gujarat minister in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
The plunge in relations between the government and BJP has set the stage for a stormy start to the monsoon session of Parliament beginning tomorrow but issues like Hindu terror and developments in Gujarat may give the treasury benches a respite from a combined opposition assault.
BJP has given all indications of a confrontation and possible disruption of both the Houses on the issue of CBI charge sheeting a Gujarat minister in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
Calling it "fabricated", the party is expected to attack the government accusing it of politically misusing the investigating agency to target rivals. But the ruling Congress and its allies are expected to counter the charges, saying government has no role in a case in which Supreme Court had directed the CBI to take over the probe.
Price rise, the hike in prices of petroleum products, a spate of rail accidents, including last week's mishap in West Bengal, and the anti-Maoist strategy are expected to provide ammunition to the opposition parties to corner the government.
With government planning to bring the controversial Civil Nuclear Liability Bill and Women's Reservation Bill in the month-long session, the division in the opposition ranks are expected to become more acute.
The Constitution (108 Amendment) Bill, seeking to provide
33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state
Assemblies, has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha amid
stiff opposition from parties like Samajwadi Party, RJD and JD(U).
The Yadav trio -- Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav -- have been staunchly opposed to the bill in its current form and want a quota within quota for women belonging to OBCs and minorities.
The government might feel the heat from the BJP and the Left parties on the nuclear liability bill, but Congress managers claim that the support of Samajwadi Party, BSP and RJD could see the bill through.
The recent Indo-Pak talks, Manipur blockade, 2G spectrum allocation controversy and the safe passage to former Union
Carbide chief Warren Anderson after the Bhopal gas tragedy are
some of the issues sought to be raised by BJP and other
parties.
The SP and RJD have suggested discussion on the issue of
Hindu terror, a matter on which BJP has strong views.
With Assembly elections in Bihar not far away, rival sides are expected to make the best use of the session. While the opposition will seek to embarrass the government on the
issue of spiralling prices, the Congress and the RJD-LJP could
raise the latest alleged scam involving the Nitish Kumar
government.
"Price rise will be a key issue for us," BJP leaders said, adding that the party will stage a march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhawan to submit 10 crore signatures to president Pratibha Patil on July 29.
Congress, on its part, is planning to target the BJP over the illegal mining scam in Karnataka.
Among the bills on the priority agenda of the government is the one seeking to increase the salary and allowances of Members of Parliament, Civil Nuclear Liability Bill and the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill.
Union ministers Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee and A Raja are expected to be targeted in the session which concludes on August 27.
While agriculture minister Pawar could find himself in hot waters for price rise of essential commodities, railway minister Banerjee for increasing rail mishaps and telecom minister Raja for alleged scam in the 2G spectrum.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is the Leader of Lok Sabha, has already expressed government's readiness to discuss any matter on the floor of the House.
The session, having 24 sittings spread over 33 days, would also discuss a statutory resolution seeking approval of president's Rule in Jharkhand.
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