R. C. Rajamani

BY ALL accounts, the Union Government has a difficult monsoon session of Parliament ahead. For, there is again no dearth of divisive issues. To those left over from the last session, have been added a slew of fresh ones.

For one, there are continuing differences of perceptions among the major partners of the United Progressive Alliance government. On several issues, the coalition leader, the Congress(I), and its main backers from outside, the Left grouping, do not see eye-to-eye. The Left has made known its displeasure over the Government pursuing privatisation and disinvestment of public sector units.

The Left parties are boycotting UPA coordination meetings in protest against the Centre's decision to sell 10 per cent of its stake in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), a navratna PSU. The Government has broadly hinted that the controversial Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2005, which the Left is stiffly opposing, will not come up during the session.

At a pre-session meeting with the media, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, pointed out that the Left and the Congress were two different entities. "On some issues we have an understanding, that doesn't mean we don't have differences on core issues. They (the Left) are not going to give up issues they've been pursuing for years just because they are supporting this government."

The BJP is said to have given 50 notices of adjournment motion and discussion under relevant rules that provide for censure of the government. In a response, Mr Azad said: "We are prepared for any discussion, any time, provided there is a consensus in the Business Advisory Committee. We have provided a corruption-free government, why should we have any problem facing discussion?" Though apparently an extraneous and internal issue, the current crisis in the BJP has the potential to impact proceedings in Parliament.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has given no respite to the UPA Government from the onslaught it launched from Day One on various issues such as the inclusion of "tainted" ministers and the alleged "partisan role" by the Governor in the political impasse in Bihar.

In all the five previous sessions since the UPA took over the reins, the proceedings were paralysed for days on end. The Congress, waiting for an issue to rap the NDA, has found one in the form of the decision to restart the trial against Mr L. K. Advani in the 1992 demolition of Babri Masjid.

Politically, the Government is on a sticky wicket on BHEL disinvestment; its indecisiveness on the demand for a separate Telengana, a movement spearheaded by its ally, the Telengana Rashtriya Samiti, whose chief is the Union Labour Minister; and the terrorist attack on Ayodhya.

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh's pro-Raj remarks at his recent Oxford speech and the closing of the Bofors gun deal case by the Delhi High Court for lack of evidence are the other political issues certain to figure, if not affect, the proceedings. The Bofors case can be exploited by the Congress too with the party already accusing the previous government of spending "huge amounts of money" on a "non-case". This apart, the NDA has indicated it would persist with its protests against what it calls the "tainted ministers".

However, on the positive side, the BJP has said that it wants a smooth session and that it would not boycott the proceedings but take up issues for discussion. The BJP's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha has indicated the party would serve notice for an adjournment motion for a discussion on the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The party has said it is willing to cooperate with the Government for trouble-free transaction of business provided it gets the "Opposition space".

Among the politically sensitive pieces of legislation awaiting consideration and passage is the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill. Promised in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), the Bill, when enacted, would ensure at least 100 days of employment in a year in 100 select districts. The Left has pressed for widening the scope of the Bill.

The Bills that could test the Government-Left relations are the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill (PFRDA) and the amendment to the Banking Regulation Act to allow 74 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in private outfits. The Left strongly opposed the PFRDA in the standing committee that should be finalising its recommendations on the Bill. The recommendations will be presented to Parliament his session. The government reportedly has the BJP's support on the PFRDA Bill.

The Left also favours early passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill and the Unorganised Sector Workers Bill. Though latest reports indicate that the Government favours introducing the Women's Quota Bill, it is unlikely to get to that stage because of known opposition to it from the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party.

A similar fate awaits the Lok Pal Bill with the known Congress opposition to the inclusion of the Prime Minister under its purview. In any case, the Group of Ministers that is studying the Bill is yet to give its final opinion.

The Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, may have tried his "dinner diplomacy" to ensure the cooperation of the Opposition in ensuring a smooth conduct of business during the session. But if his bid will stop the din that has dominated the past many sessions will be known from today.

(The author, a former Deputy Editor of PTI, is a New Delhi-based freelance journalist.)

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