Opposition uniting again, with reports indicating low likelihood of upcoming parliamentary session.
Opposition uniting again, with reports indicating low likelihood of upcoming parliamentary session.

Following a ruling by the US court involving businessman Gautam Adani, political unrest has grown in India. On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, called for the establishment of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the entire issue. Rahul made this request right before the Parliament session.

This time, the Parliament’s winter session is scheduled from November 25 to December 20. It is being suggested that there may be a significant amount of commotion surrounding the Gautam Adani issue in the upcoming Parliamentary session, based on the way it has escalated beforehand.

In addition to the Congress, numerous other opposition parties appear to be in agreement on this matter. Rahul Gandhi has stated that the India Alliance will soon come together on this matter in reply to a question. During the previous discussion in Parliament concerning Gautam Adani, the majority of opposition parties united with the Congress.

Up to now, Mahua Moitra from Trinamool and Sanjay Singh from AAP have both raised concerns about this matter. Both have called for a probe into the issue. CPM has also requested a CBI investigation.

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, has also described it as a prolonged struggle. The Lok Sabha faced dysfunction due to the Adani issue for a span of 3 consecutive days in February 2023. Nevertheless, the government refused to comply with the JPC’s request despite the public outcry.

The Parliament has been informed by the central government to include the bill on the agenda. As per the parliamentary bulletin, there are plans to introduce a total of 15 bills in the Lok Sabha and 18 in the Rajya Sabha.

Some of these bills are Coastal Bill 2024, Indian Ports Bill 2024, Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill 2024, Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024. All these bills are fresh and will make their debut in Parliament. By enacting the Coastal and Port Bill, the government is putting in significant efforts to encourage maritime commerce.

In addition to those bills, the government may present the Wakf Amendment Bill and the One Nation One Election Bill during this session. The Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report will determine the final decision on the Wakf Bill. Lately, senior BJP officials have alluded to this.

The Wakf Amendment Bill was presented in the previous session, however, it was withdrawn by the government following objections from TDP and JDU. The news has also covered the deliberation on the Wakf Bill by the Joint Parliamentary Committee.

The One Nation, One Election Bill may also be approved by the government during this session. A report on this was submitted to the government a few months ago by the committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. Nevertheless, numerous opposition parties are standing against this legislation.

PDT Acharya, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, recently provided a report to the English newspaper Financial Express regarding the projected expenses of Parliament activities. Acharya states that each minute of Parliament proceedings comes with a price tag of Rs 2.5 lakh.

This cost covers the security of Parliament as well as the salaries and allowances of Members of Parliament. This money received by the Department of Parliamentary Affairs is taxpayers’ money used for its operations.