Food bill, Lokpal and more: What to expect from Parl Monsoon session

The Monsoon session of Parliament which begins on Monday is likely to be a stormy affair with the main opposition party BJP seeking to raise key issues in the House.

The Monsoon session has 44 bills listed but will have only 16 working days in which to pass them. Among the key bills the government is hopeful of passing is the UPA government’s flagship programme, the Food Security bill.

The bill aims to give legal rights to 67 percent of the population over a uniform quantity of 5 kg foodgrains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.

With elections in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh barely three months away, the Congress hopes the Food bill will serve as a major vote-getter.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a “constructive and productive” session and sought support from all parties.

While the BJP has said it will ensure a smooth functioning of Parliament this session,  it will raise issues like the Telangana statehood, Food Security Bill, fall in value of rupee and the Uttarakhand floods among others.  The BJP has also decided to raise the issue of confrontation between the CBI and the IB and its implications on the country’s security.

The two central agencies had recently been on loggerheads on the Ishrat Jahan encounter case in Gujarat.

At a strategy meeting chaired by senior party leader LK Advani, the party decided to seek amendments in the Food Bill saying several concerns had to be addressed before its passage, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.

“In principle, we are in agreement with this (Food) Bill, but we have a lot to say. There is a Chhattisgarh model, then there is the interest of the farmers…we have to put in a lot of suggestions, amendments,” he said.

The government, however, may lose support from the Samajwadi Party. SP leader Naresh Agarwal made it clear the bill in its present form was not acceptable and required certain amendments and that if need be the party will vote against it.

“If need be, we will vote against the bill,” he said.

The SP, which supports the government from the outside, has 22 members in Lok Sabha and its backing is vital for the passage of the bill.

He ruled out that the party’s stand on the food bill had anything to do with Congress President Sonia Gandhi‘s letter on suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal by the Uttar Pradesh government.

With regard to the key financial bills pending in Parliament, the BJP agreed to support routine and necessary financial business but indicated that the party will continue to oppose further opening of the insurance and pension sectors to foreign direct investment (FDI).

On Sunday Finance Minister P Chidambaram met Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj for support to key reform bills on opening up the insurance and pension sector, but failed to get any assurance.

Among the key bills the government seeks to consider and pass in Parliament are:

The National Food Security (Second) Bill, 2013 (to replace the ordinance)
The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2011
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011
The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2013
The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2013