New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament is headed to a stormy start today. The first day of the session is set to be marked by fiery exchanges between the Modi government and the Opposition. With 21 sittings scheduled across 32 days, at least 17 legislative items, including the National Sports Governance Bill and the new Income Tax Bill 2025, are set to be tabled.
Opposition sharpens attack over terror, voter rights
Leaders of 24 opposition parties, after a joint online meeting, have agreed on a unified strategy to confront the Centre on key issues. These include the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, alleged voter suppression in Bihar through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and US President Donald Trump’s claim of brokering a ceasefire to prevent a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari called for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direct involvement in the discussions. “Parliament is more important than foreign trips,” he told PTI, terming the Pahalgam attack “a matter linked to the honour of 140 crore Indians.”
Tiwari criticised the lack of action against the perpetrators and highlighted that recent admissions pointed to an intelligence failure, a matter the bloc intends to raise forcefully in the House.
Outrage over electoral roll revision in Bihar
The INDIA bloc has also alleged that the voter roll revision in Bihar is being manipulated to disenfranchise marginalised groups. “After note-bandi, this vote-bandi in Bihar is an assault on democracy,” said Tiwari, warning of an ‘undeclared Emergency’.
J&K statehood and ‘One Nation, One Poll’ in focus
CPI general secretary D Raja said the opposition would also seek answers on issues such as delimitation, the ‘One Nation, One Poll’ proposal, and the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Rajnath Singh to speak on Operation Sindoor
While the Prime Minister is unlikely to respond in person, sources say Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will deliver a detailed statement on Operation Sindoor. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that the government is prepared to respond to the Trump ceasefire claim and related foreign policy questions.
