Hardly any business could be transacted in the last session as it was disrupted by an unrelenting Opposition which turned the heat on the government over their demand as the UPA coalition was equally adamant not to consider it.
However, now that the ice has broken, the session seems to be a smooth affair. The BJP, may, however, demand JPCs for the Commonweath Games and Adarsh housing scams which have already been turned down by the government.
President Pratibha Patil will address the joint session of Parliament on Monday during which she will outline the programmes of the government for the year. This would be followed by the railway budget and tabling of economic survey, both on February 25. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the general budget on February 28.
While business for Monday would be limited to the President’s address and tabling of the copy of the speech on the floor of the two Houses, Tuesday would witness Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making a statement on the formation of JPC over spectrum allocation.
With the formation of JPC a certainty, names of two veteran Congress MPs — P C Chacko and Kishore Chandra Deo — are doing rounds for the chairmanship of the JPC.
Issues like price rise, demand for a separate state of Telangana, besides Adarsh and CWG scam may dominate the two-month long session which have a break from March 16 to April 4 to enable department–related Parliamentary Standing Committees examine the Demands for Grants relating to various ministries/departments and make their reports to the Houses. The session will draw to a close on April 21.
The “saffron terror” and the government’s decision to have composite dialogue with Pakistan may witness raised tempers. The BJP, which would be out to find issues to raise thanks to the JPC robbing it of topics, would cry hoarse against the government for “targeting” RSS activists for their alleged involvement in terror plots.
If this happens, the Congress is certain to match the diatribe by rising the issue of Karnataka where the BJP has decided to continue B S Yeddyurappa as chief minister despite cases of corruption and nepotism against him and his cabinet colleagues.
The government has identified 75 items, including 66 Bills, to be taken up during the session.