Before the start of the monsoon session of Parliament, political activity has intensified. While there are reports of differences between the opposition parties regarding the Delimitation Bill, The government is just six seats behind the magical figure of MPs.. It is believed that the government will easily arrange the required number. All these issues were discussed in the program ‘Coffee on Kurukshetra’. Senior journalist Vinod Agnihotri, MATRIZE Director Manoj Singh and India TV Political Editor Devendra Parashar were present as guests along with the show’s anchor and India TV Senior Executive Editor Saurav Sharma.
Is there unity within the opposition like before?
While the government has not yet officially disclosed its legislative agenda, Congress has claimed that the government can bring important bills like women’s reservation, delimitation, one nation-one election, amendments to the FCRA and the National Food Security Act. Congress has clearly indicated that it will oppose all these bills.
However, the biggest question is whether all the opposition parties will stand with the Congress? Recent developments are presenting the opposite picture. The statements of leaders of parties like NCP (Sharad Pawar), DMK and Uddhav Thackeray faction show that they will take the final decision on any bill only after seeing its draft. Supriya Sule also said that if the seats of all the states are increased in equal proportion in delimitation, then her party can consider it. This indicates that unity within the opposition is not visible like before.
Government busy in preparations
In ‘Coffee on Kurukshetra’ the question was also raised as to why Congress did not formulate a strategy in time with the opposition parties. The government’s possible agenda was being discussed for the last several months, but Congress held its strategy meeting just before the Parliament session. Political analysts believe that if a joint strategy had been made by sitting with allies in advance, the opposition would have appeared more organized. Now many regional parties are seen adopting an independent stance considering their respective political interests.
On the other hand, there was also discussion about the preparations of the government. It was reported that Home Minister Amit Shah is busy in his programs even before the commencement of the Parliament session, which indicates that the government has already made necessary political and parliamentary preparations. This is the reason why the government is expected to get adequate support for its bills.
Possibility of Joint Parliamentary Committee report coming
A large part of the discussion also focused on One Nation-One Election. The possibility of the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report and the Election Commission’s opinion that elections can be held simultaneously in the entire country after six months of preparation, is making this debate more important. At the same time, two different viewpoints emerged regarding delimitation and women’s reservation. One side believes that these steps are being taken keeping in mind the 2029 elections, while the other side considers it to be part of a long-standing political and administrative plan.
Government moving forward with far-reaching political thinking
It was also said in the discussion that the working style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah has always been based on long-term planning. Referring to many of his major decisions, it was argued that the government moves forward not just keeping the next elections in mind, but with a view to making far-reaching political and administrative changes. Women’s reservation, delimitation and One Nation-One Election were also said to be part of this broader vision.
At present, the biggest political question is to what extent the opposition will be able to remain united in the monsoon session of Parliament. If regional parties take a different stand from the Congress, it may be relatively easier for the government to push through important bills. The challenge before the Congress will not only be to oppose the government, but also to keep the entire opposition on one platform. Now all eyes are on the Parliament session, where the real picture of these political equations will be revealed.
Click on the video given at the top to see the complete discussion in detail.
(Disclaimer: This article is based on the discussion at the event and the views expressed during the program are the personal views of the guests.)
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