Parliament Monsoon Session: Both Houses adjourned until Wednesday after Opposition disrupts proceedings

The Monsoon Session of the Parliament, which began on Monday, is likely to see a stormy session on Day 2, as Monday’s opening session was adjourned after obituaries and swearing-in of newly elected members owing to the presidential elections. A united Opposition is all set to raise the heat on the government over other key issues like the action of law enforcement agencies against some opposition leaders over corruption, fallout of the GST, the agrarian crisis and the policy towards Pakistan. The increased opposition synergy comes at a time when 18 parties have come together under one platform to pin the government on some key issues. The Opposition parties are likely to raise issues of lynching incidents and vigilantism, the Kashmir situation and the border stand-off with China. [caption id=“attachment_3800621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Parliament building. PTI[/caption] While the Congress party held a meeting on Monday to chalk out a strategy to corner the Centre in the Parliament, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has also indicated that a stormy session lies ahead. “We will play an aggressive role in the Parliament. We are ready to go to jail but will not bow our heads,” Banerjee had told PTI. However, the Centre on the other hand is treading cautiously and has tried to reach out to the Opposition. From customary exchange of greetings to setting the tenor for a ‘fruitful’ session, the Narendra Modi government is sending amicable signals to the Opposition. On Monday, the prime minister walked up to Opposition benches in the Lok Sabha before the start of proceedings and greeted Opposition leaders . They included former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai, apart from Sonia Gandhi. Seeing Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia in the second row, he also greeted them. Modi also  urged all parties to work in the interest of the nation, expressing hope that the Parliament’s session will be a fruitful one. “GST shows the good that can be achieved when all parties come together and work for the nation. The GST spirit is about growing stronger together. I hope the same GST spirit prevails in the session,” he said. Terming the start of the session as very significant, Modi noted that this session gets an opportunity to elect a new president and a vice-president for the country, which will also complete seven decades of its Independence on 15 August. He said like the Monsoon brings hope, “this session also brings same spirit of hope”. The government’s agenda for the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, includes a total of 34 bills and needs a cooperative Opposition for the smooth functioning of House, even as it has the numbers in the House.