New Delhi: The second week of the monsoon session of Parliament will begin tomorrow i.e. July 28. The first week was marred by uproar. On Monday, there is a possibility of a debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha. The ruling party and the opposition in the House will be face to face on two issues related to national security and foreign policy.
The BJP-led NDA alliance and opposition parties are expected to field their top leaders during the discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Congress party has issued a three-line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs to remain present in the House for three days.
Sources said that Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will speak on these issues. It is expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may put forth his point to convey the track record of his government’s “strong” stand on national security.
At the same time, opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge in both the houses can open a front against the government along with Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav and other leaders.
16-16 hours of debate in both the houses
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had said on July 25 that the first week of the session was disrupted due to uproar and the opposition has agreed to start discussion on both these issues in the Lok Sabha on Monday and then in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The ruling party and the opposition have agreed to a marathon debate of 16-16 hours in both the houses, which can be extended even longer.
The NDA can also field members of those seven multi-party delegations, who have visited more than 30 countries to present India’s side after Operation Sindoor. These include Shrikant Shinde of Shiv Sena, Sanjay Jha of JDU and Harish Balayogi of TDP.
Will Shashi Tharoor also present his side?
There is still doubt over the Congress choosing Shashi Tharoor as the speaker, who had led a multi-party delegation to the US and other countries. Tharoor’s relations with the Congress are said to be bad due to taking the side of the government after the Pahalgam attack. He had led an important delegation, so some way can be found for him to speak.
Opposition parties have criticized the government over the intelligence lapse behind the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and the claims of ceasefire between India and Pakistan mediated by the US. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly attacked the government’s foreign policy. He says that India did not get international support in Operation Sindoor. Rahul has cited Trump’s claims of mediation to target the ruling coalition.
PM Modi has praised Operation Sindoor as it proved the capability of India’s indigenous defense weapons and defense systems. The conflict between India and Pakistan lasted for four days. India claimed that several military bases of the neighboring country have suffered serious damage.
The issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter list in Bihar can also be raised in Parliament. The opposition has demanded a discussion on this in Parliament. After the monsoon session began, the opposition protested in Parliament on this issue, due to which the proceedings of Parliament were disrupted. The opposition alleges that the purpose of the SIR exercise is to help the BJP-led alliance in the electoral state of Bihar. However, the Election Commission says that its entire focus is only on ensuring that only eligible people vote.
