The Centre and the opposition are gearing up for a major confrontation in the winter session of Parliament, starting Monday (December 1). The two key flashpoints will be the National Herald FIR involving the Gandhis and the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Parties like the Trinamool Congress, DMK and Samajwadi Party plan to strongly oppose the voter list revision being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI). They claim the exercise is influenced by the central government and that the EC has made serious errors. After holding protests on the streets, they are now ready to raise the issue aggressively inside Parliament.
This year’s winter session is short, ending on December 19. With so many contentious issues, there is worry that repeated disruptions may derail the government’s plan to pass several important bills. The Centre is expected to introduce around 10 major bills, covering areas like nuclear energy, higher education, corporate regulations and the securities market.
Government Working on Floor Strategy
Senior ministers met at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence on November 26 to finalise the government’s strategy for the session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has also called an all-party meeting to appeal for cooperation and smooth functioning.
Focus on debate over Vande Mataram
A key highlight for the government this session is a discussion on 150 years of the national song, Vande Mataram. The government wants a debate on the full recitation of the song—an issue recently raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claimed the Congress removed some lines in 1937, which he said contributed to the division of the country.
Centre says SIR debate is ‘Non-Negotiable’
The government has made it clear that the SIR issue will not be debated in Parliament. It maintains that revising voter rolls is a regular EC procedure and has no place in parliamentary discussion. It has also cited Supreme Court directions, saying the EC has already followed what the court instructed. The Centre argues that the NDA’s strong win in Bihar shows voters do not see SIR as a political controversy.
TMC, DMK, SP prepare for strong confrontation
Despite this, the TMC is expected to take a very aggressive stand. Its leaders recently met EC officials, alleging that the SIR process is being misused to manipulate voter lists and increase the number of booths in West Bengal, which faces elections early next year.
The BJP’s growing campaign in the state has pushed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to respond sharply, calling SIR a “conspiracy” by the Centre.
In Tamil Nadu, where elections will also be held next year, the DMK has staged protests accusing the Centre of influencing the revision process. In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has highlighted irregularities and plans to raise the issue forcefully in Parliament.
Opposition to target govt on multiple fronts
Apart from SIR, the opposition is preparing to question the government on nuclear energy reforms, the proposed Indian Higher Education Commission, and the bill to amend the Constitution for Chandigarh. Issues like unemployment and rising air pollution in Delhi-NCR will also be used to mount pressure on the government.
With both sides firm on their positions and several heated issues waiting to be debated, the winter session is likely to be tense and highly confrontational.
