Can Cong Stop BJP's Constitutional Push?

'Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the AAP.'

With the monsoon session of Parliament just days away, the Congress has launched what it describes as a comprehensive political and legislative offensive against the Narendra Modi government, accusing it of attempting to engineer a 'tainted' two-thirds majority in Parliament to push through controversial Constitutional changes while asserting that the ruling alliance remains well short of the numbers required.

The strategy was finalised at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group and the Congress Parliamentary Party held at 10 Janpath under the chairmanship of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The meeting finalised the party's floor strategy for the 19-day monsoon session, scheduled from July 20 to August 13, with the Congress deciding to oppose a series of proposed legislation while mounting coordinated attacks on the government over issues ranging from alleged corruption and inflation to national security, foreign policy and Constitutional governance.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh and Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the party was preparing for what could become one of the most politically charged Parliament sessions in recent years.

Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Centre was attempting to secure a two-thirds majority through political defections rather than electoral mandate.

"The government is trying to engineer a tainted two-thirds majority in Parliament. It is quite unlikely to secure the required numbers. Even if it somehow manages to get them, it will be a disgraced two-thirds majority and an insult to the Constitution of India," he said.

He maintained that the Congress had not yet received any formal legislative agenda from the government and expressed little optimism about the all-party meeting scheduled for July 19.

"We do not have any formal information about the Bills that will be introduced. The all-party meeting has unfortunately become a pointless formality, and we do not expect anything substantive to emerge from it," he remarked.

Opposition to Delimitation Bill

A central focus of the Congress strategy is the anticipated return of the Delimitation Bill through a reportedly revised 131st Constitution Amendment Bill.

Ramesh said the party expected Union Home Minister Amit Shah to revive the proposal after the earlier legislation was defeated in the Lok Sabha.

"We expect the home minister to bring back the Delimitation Bill. The Congress opposed it earlier and will continue to oppose it," he said.

The Congress has described the defeat of the earlier Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill as one of the government's biggest legislative setbacks and believes the BJP is now trying to rebuild the parliamentary arithmetic needed for its passage.

Ramesh said the party was working actively to preserve Opposition unity against any such move.

"Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the AAP," he said.

Rejecting speculation about divisions within the INDIA bloc, Ramesh dismissed reports suggesting that the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) was inclined to support the Delimitation Bill.

"Supriya Sule has already categorically denied these reports. These stories are being planted to create confusion among Opposition parties," he said.

The Congress leader accused the BJP of attempting to alter parliamentary numbers by encouraging defections.

He alleged that the break-up of the Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) represented an assault on Constitutional values and questioned the rapid rise of the Nationalist Citizens' Party of India within the NDA.

"The home minister has used that party as a parking space for defecting MPs," Ramesh alleged, adding that despite these efforts, the government remained "well short" of the Constitutional threshold required for major Constitutional amendments.

Challenging Government's Legislative Agenda

The Congress also sharpened its attack on the government's legislative agenda, making it clear that it would oppose every major Bill that, in its view, undermines constitutional institutions or federalism.

Among the measures identified for opposition are the reportedly revised Constitution Amendment Bill relating to delimitation, the One Nation, One Election Bills, proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, amendments to the National Food Security Act, the proposed Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill providing for the removal of Chief Ministers and Ministers after 30 days of judicial detention, and the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill.

At the same time, the party clarified that it remained committed to women's political empowerment.

"If the government provides one-third reservation for women within the existing strength of the Lok Sabha, the Congress will support it," Ramesh said.

The Congress also unveiled an expansive political agenda for the session.

In a statement posted on social media platform X after the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the party would hold the Modi government accountable on a wide range of issues.

Key Issues for Debate

''Chanda Chori - Astha se Dhoka', paper leaks and the systemic corrosion of the education system, institutional capture, breaking of political parties, multiple scams and charges of corruption, backbreaking price rise, foreign policy failures and strategic blunders, the imposition of ethanol blending on 3.5 crore vehicle owners, unbridled deforestation, and the continued assault on the rights of SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities are among the critical issues on which the Congress Party will hold the Modi Government accountable during the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament,' Kharge said.

'These pressing concerns affecting the lives and aspirations of our people were deliberated upon during the meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party,' Kharge added.

Expanding on those themes, Ramesh said the Congress would demand discussions on the alleged theft of donations at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir under the slogan 'Chanda Chori, Aastha se Dhoka', recurrent examination paper leaks, the NEET-NTA controversy, unemployment, inflation, environmental degradation, corruption and institutional autonomy.

He reiterated the party's demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated examination controversies and referred to Rahul Gandhi's nationwide 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign, whose next programme is scheduled in Dehradun on Friday, July 17.

The Congress also announced plans to raise what it described as the 'E-20 scam', alleging the involvement of senior BJP leaders and their family members.

Foreign policy will be another major focus during the session. The party said it would seek detailed discussions on India's relations with China and the United States, the evolving geopolitical situation in West Asia, and what it termed Pakistan's enhanced diplomatic position with American support.

Ramesh described these developments as a serious foreign policy setback and said Parliament must debate the government's handling of strategic affairs.

Call for All-Party Meeting

Adding another dimension to the confrontation, Kharge on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an all-party meeting on the reportedly revised 131st Constitution Amendment Bill.

The development was disclosed by Jairam Ramesh in a post on X. 'Hon'ble Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun @Kharge ji has just written to the Prime Minister on the reportedly revised 131st Constitution Amendment Bill,' he posted.

According to Kharge's letter, the Congress has urged the prime minister to convene an all-party meeting before introducing the legislation, arguing that any Constitutional amendment affecting parliamentary representation and India's federal structure must emerge from broad political consensus rather than unilateral government action.

The Congress maintains that the revised Constitutional proposal, if brought during the monsoon session, is likely to become one of the defining political battles of the session.

As Parliament prepares to reconvene, the stage appears set for a prolonged confrontation between the government and the Opposition, with debates expected to span Constitutional amendments, electoral reforms, alleged corruption, economic management, education, national security, foreign policy and the functioning of democratic institutions.

With the Congress coordinating closely with other INDIA bloc partners, the monsoon session is expected to witness intense legislative battles and sharp political exchanges in both Houses.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff