Data to Delhi, crucial bills on anvil in House session

Oppn leaders seek discussion, statement from PM on Manipur as Rajnath chairs all-party meeting

The Union government hopes to pass 31 pieces of legislation — including those on the control of the bureaucracy in Delhi, data protection, mediation, forest conservation, and reservation laws in Jammu & Kashmir — even as a discussion on the violence in Manipur has emerged at the top of the Opposition agenda, setting the stage for a confrontation during Parliament’s Monsoon session.

At an all-party meeting on Wednesday, chaired by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and attended by 34 parties, the Opposition sought a debate on the ethnic violence in the northeastern state that has claimed at least 150 lives, and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the issue. The government responded that it was ready for a discussion on any topic, including Manipur, but would not agree to any specific conditions.

“Many parties want to debate Manipur. The government is ready for a debate. As and when the presiding officers give us time, we will debate. But (Union) home ministry is the nodal ministry for Manipur. We feel that they are trying to put a caveat for disrupting the House,” said Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi.

Joshi underlined that the monsoon session, from July 19 to August 11, was very important, and reiterated that the government listed 31 bills for the session with 17 sittings. “Currently, the government have 31 legislative items which have been identified. What we have to bring and what not we will decide later but at least 31 legislative items are fully ready now,” Joshi said.