The Parliament of India kicked off its session on Monday with a special discussion on the 75-year journey of the institution, starting from the constituent assembly. The session, which will last for five days, is expected to witness some heated debates and possible surprises from the government.
New Dehli, Tamsil Shahezad Khan: The first day of the session saw both houses of Parliament pay tribute to the achievements, experiences, memories and learnings of the parliamentary journey in the past 75 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the discussion, said that the Parliament has been a witness to India's transformation from a colonised nation to a free and vibrant democracy.
He also urged the members of Parliament to uphold the dignity and decorum of the institution and work together for the welfare of the people. He said that the Parliament should reflect the aspirations and dreams of 1.3 billion Indians.
The session will also mark the shift to the new Parliament building, which will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind after a ceremony at the Central Hall of the existing building. The new building, which is part of the Central Vista project, is designed to accommodate more members and provide better facilities.
However, the session is also likely to witness some fireworks as the government has listed eight bills for consideration and passage, including a controversial one that seeks to change the way the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) are appointed and their service conditions.
The bill proposes to exclude the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the panel that selects the CEC and ECs and instead include a cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister. It also proposes to make the service conditions of the CEC and ECs equivalent to that of the cabinet secretary and not a Supreme Court judge, as is the case now.
The opposition parties have strongly opposed the bill, calling it an attempt to undermine the independence and autonomy of the Election Commission. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that his party will "steadfastly oppose" the bill and accused the government of hiding its actual intention behind calling the session.
He also said that he suspects that the government will "unleash" some more "legislative grenades" at the last moment, as it has done in previous sessions. He cited an example of X (formerly Twitter), where he posted his views on the bill.
Other bills that are on the agenda include The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, The Post Office Bill, 2023, among others. The government has also added a bill on the welfare of senior citizens and three bills related to SC/ST order to the list.
Meanwhile, several parties have demanded that the government revive the women's reservation bill, which seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. The Congress passed a resolution in favour of the bill at its Hyderabad Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday.
However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the government will take "an appropriate decision at an appropriate time" on this issue.
The session, which is being held after a gap of two months, is expected to conclude on September 22. It is not clear whether it will be followed by another session in November-December or not. Usually, Parliament holds three sessions every year: Budget, Monsoon and Winter.
