Centre, Opposition to battle on key issues in Parliament's Monsoon Session starting July 18

The government and Opposition are sharpening their armoury ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session starting Monday with both sides all set to lock horns over a variety of issues including the controversial Agnipath scheme, unemployment and misuse of central agencies.

Twenty-four new bills, besides eight other pending ones, are lined up for the Session ending on August 12, during which the Parliament House will also witness the voting and counting of votes for the Presidential and Vice Presidential elections. There will be 18 sittings spread over 26 days.

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At the customary all-party meeting convened on the eve of the Session, which was attended by 35 parties, the Opposition made it clear that they will not spare the government on issues like the controversial Agnipath military recruitment scheme, unemployment and use of central agencies like ED and CBI to target non-NDA leaders.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters after the meeting that the government was open for discussion on all issues under the rules and procedures of Parliament but the Opposition was making issues out of non-issues and trying to belittle the image of Parliament.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Jairam Ramesh, DMK's TR Baalu and Tiruchi Siva, TMC's Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, NCP's Sharad Pawar,
BJD's Pinaki Misra, YSRCP's Vijaysai Reddy and Midhun Reddy, TRS' Keshav Rao and Nama Nageshwar Rao, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, RSP's NK Premachandran and CPI's Binoy Viswam among others attended the meeting.

Congress leaders put forward 13 issues for discussion during the Monsoon session, which included price rise, Agnipath scheme, attack on federal structure, DHFL bank fraud, uncontrolled inflation, rising unemployment, fiscal crisis, Hate Speech, rising crimes in Jammu and Kashmir and attacks on Kashmiri Pandits, the collapse of autonomous bodies, external threat to national security, Chinese incursion and Foreign Policy, illegal demolition of houses of minorities, undemocratic attack on Congress Leaders and amendment to Forest Conservation rules.

They also demanded that more time be devoted to non-governmental business in the form of Short Duration Discussions, Calling Attention Motion and Special Mentions, a point supported by Premachandran and Viswam among others.

Sources said BJD raised the issue of the Women's Reservation Bill while RJD brought up Caste Census. AAP is learnt to have raised the issue of the government denying clearance for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to visit Singapore.

Senior Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Today in the all-party meeting many political parties, including those supporting NDA, pointed out the contradiction in the Modi Sarkar claiming credit for its Presidential candidate on the one hand and killing off the Forest Rights Act, 2006 on the other hand!,"

The issue of the recent publication of unparliamentary expressions also came up during the meeting. While it was clarified that there was no ban on any word but the government urged MPs to be careful while speaking, BJD's Mishra said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was "unfairly targeted" as listing out such words has been a routine practice in Parliament. Mishra also demanded bringing the Women's Reservation Bill at the earliest.

Viswam demanded that smaller parties should also be represented in the Business Advisory Committees of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In an oblique reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducting a puja at the unveiling of the national emblem at the new Parliament Building, he referred to the reissuance of the circular banning protests and religious ceremonies in the complex.