Intolerance issue to hit winter session of Parliament

Opposition parties have closed ranks to target the government on a range of issues from intolerance to rising prices as the winter session begins on November 26.

Parleys have been held among leaders of Opposition parties and Congress. The Janata Dal-United in particular will be raising the issue of intolerance and award wapsi in a big way.

“Now Assam Governor made derogatory remarks being in the Constitutional position shows the ruling government has not learnt lesson from defeat in Bihar.”

“We will raise issues of love jihad to ‘ghar vapsi’ and increasing intolerance during the course of discussion on commitment towards the Constitution,” JD-U president Sharad Yadav said on Twitter.

He also tweeted that his party will also raise the issue of reservation policy in the House alleging that it is not being implemented in the right spirit in the country.

Besides, the JD-U has decided to raise the issue of rise in prices of pulse, edible oils and vegetables under Rule 267 of suspension of business in the House.

A special two-day sitting of Parliament has been called on the first two days of the session to commemorate the adoption of Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949, and honour its architect, dalit icon B R Ambedkar.

Opposition parties believe that this serves them an opportunity to find fault with the government’s handling of a number of issues in the light of the laid down Constitutional provisions.

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We have already given notice for discussion on intolerance and it should be admitted under Rule 193. So we will discuss about the Constitution on the 125th anniversary. Other than this, we have given another notice on the subject.”

“Whenever that is admitted, we will together discuss on this issue. Each of us want that there is tolerance in the country for peace and development and investment to come,” he said.

JD-U president Yadav said that all the issues from ‘ghar wapsi’, Dadri and other incidents of showing ‘intolerance’ in the last 18-months of this government will be raised. He said that his party will give a notice to discuss the ‘intolerance’ issue before Parliament.

The assertions by the Opposition leaders have come on a day when top Union ministers held deliberation over the government’s strategy ahead of the winter session of Parliament beginning on Thursday with the Centre expressing hope that Congress will help passage of key reform bills, including GST.

The government has called an all-party meeting on Wednesday at 11 am. BJP parliamentary party executive and NDA constituents will meet later at the prime minister’s residence followed by an all-party meeting called by the Speaker.

The winter session will begin on November 26 and end on December 23. This is the first Parliamentary session after the National Democratic Alliance’s debacle in Bihar elections, which has led to some sort of consolidation of the anti-BJP forces on the political arena.

The monsoon session of the Parliament was a near wash out and the government could not carry forward its legislative agenda.