Monsoon Session of Parliament: Opposition parties to move no-confidence motion against govt; will raise mob lynchings, misrule in J&K

Congress party said that it will bring a Motion of No Confidence against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the Monsoon Session of Parliament and it is in talks with other Opposition parties as well to gather support. The ruling party is also set to face a storm in Parliament over the increase in incidents of mob violence, as leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, hinted that a united Opposition has agreed to raise the issue in a big way. The Monsoon Session begins 18 July (Wednesday). Without naming anyone, Kharge said that the BJP was creating an atmosphere of fear where important leaders and ministers encourage those who have been accused of lynching. [caption id=“attachment_4761871” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Mallikarjun Kharge outlined the agenda of the Opposition parties ahead of Monsoon Session. Image courtesy: Twitter @INCIndia[/caption] Addressing the press a day before Parliament meets for the Monsoon Session, Kharge claimed that most of the Opposition parties have agreed on a few common pointers for the Parliament session. He that said members of 12 non-NDA parties attended the meeting called by the Congress on Monday night, whereas representatives of four other parties could not make it because of lack of time. Apart from Kharge, the meeting was attended by Congress’ Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, Communist Party of India-Marxist’s Mohammad Salim, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Satish Chandra Misra, Trinamool Congress leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Misa Bharti, DMK’s TKS Elangovan, Janata Dal-Secular leader D Kupendra Reddy, Indian Union Muslim League’s PK Kunhalikutty, Revolutionary Socialist Party’s NK Premchandran, Communist Party of India’s D Raja and Kerala Congress-Mani’s Jose K Mani. Expressing hope that the Treasury benches will allow the Opposition to make their points, Kharge said that they will also raise the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. Commenting on the ruckus during the Budget Session, Kharge said that the media often blames the Opposition for the disruptions in Parliament, but the onus of the smooth functioning of the House lay with the government. He further added that the government usually uses parliamentary disruptions to avoid giving answers on important issues. He, however, expressed hope that the Monsoon Session that will have 18 sittings will be productive. Kharge also said that the parties will raise the issue of rising unemployment, women's security and misrule of Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament as these were all promises that the BJP made in their election manifesto and had failed to deliver on them. He said that the government has so far evaded a reply on the increased incidents of ceasefire violations and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. Kharge also said that they will ask the government to clarify its stand on the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, which was ‘diluted by a Supreme Court’ judgment. “We agreed upon bringing a vote of no confidence and we will also demand the special status for Andhra Pradesh, and by tonight we will mobilise it as much as possible,” Karge said. Meanwhile, Azad said the leaders of like-minded parties unanimously resolved that they wanted to see the Parliament function smoothly. Referring to the frequent disruptions in the second half of Budget Session, he said the Opposition wanted the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to run smoothly but allies of the ruling coalition did not allow it to happen. “It was the first time that government did not want the Parliament to run. After the session ended, the blame was put on the Opposition, not on them,” he said. Azad said the Opposition parties will raise issues concerning people like unemployment, lynchings and problems concerning farmers, backwards, Dalits and minorities. “But if the government does not allow discussion on these issues and due to that if there is disruption, then the Opposition is not responsible, the government will be responsible,” he said. “Our issues are issues concerning the people. We want to run the house smoothly. The house should be benefited, bills should be passed and we are able to raise our issues,” he said. With inputs from IANS