New Delhi: The Monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 20 to August 13, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren said on Saturday.
The 25-day session with 19 sittings comes after the ruling BJP’s victories in West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry assembly polls.
The aftermath of the rebellion in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena (UBT) will also play out in the forthcoming session.
Meanwhile, a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the controversial 130th Constitution Amendment Bill is expected to adopt its report on July 17, with indications that it will retain the Bill’s most debated provision mandating the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Union or State ministers from office if they are arrested and remain in judicial custody for 30 consecutive days in cases involving serious offences.
According to the sources, “A meeting of the committee was called again on July 17. The committee is unlikely to recommend dropping the contentious clause despite concerns raised by several stakeholders during deliberations. However, the report is expected to include safeguards aimed at preventing the provision from being misused for political vendetta or motivated prosecutions.”
The proposed amendment had triggered a sharp political debate, with supporters arguing that it would strengthen accountability in public office, while the opposition has warned that it could be exploited to destabilise elected governments through politically motivated investigations and arrests.
The JPC is expected to finalise and adopt its report at its meeting on July 17 before submitting it to Parliament for further consideration.
The Opposition is also expected to bring up the issue of privilege proceedings against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, after the Congress alleged that he spoke a “straightforward, clear-cut lie” to mislead the House over casualties of Indian soldiers during Operation Sindoor. \
