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Monday,
November 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Winter session may be stormy New Delhi, November 17 He has invited representatives of all political parties for a dinner tonight, ostensibly to put across the viewpoint that legislative business and not political mudslinging should be the primary focus of the House. Mr Joshi also called on Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in this connection and the discussion is learnt to have focused on the smooth conduct of business in both Houses “I will be meeting various parties to make sure that there is no hitch”, Mr Joshi told newspersons. “There is a code of conduct and stipulated action for violation but political parties must lay down basic ground rules,” he added. Nevertheless, the emerging political scenario in Gujarat as it goes to the polls to elect the 182-member Assembly, the political firmament in Uttar Pradesh and the disinvestment debate, which got stalled due to differences within the government, is expected to dominate the proceedings. With both the Congress and the BJP launching attacks on each other in the run-up to the Gujarat poll, a major part of the session’s time could be occupied by the issue as the results of the poll could have a major impact on both parties. The BJP could find itself hard-pressed to defend the indirect and virtually parallel campaign launched by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Gujarat. A fiery Opposition, led by the Congress is expected to demand answers as the VHP has been accused of fomenting communal passion in the state. “We want answers on the blatant communal campaign run by the BJP and the VHP in Gujarat,” Congress MP Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said. The results of the poll will be crucial for both Congress and the BJP. For the BJP, a loss in the hustings could force the party think-tank to rethink on adopting a hard Hindutva agenda in future elections. The Congress, on the other hand, is seeking to add another state into its kitty and a victory in Gujarat will consolidate its position. In Uttar Pradesh, with the ruling BSP-BJP looking fragile, the Samajwadi Party which has been sniffing for power in Lucknow, may use the winter session to highlight the extent of political instability in the state. Other Opposition parties may also take a cue and raise the issue in the floor of the House.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, however, said the government was open to any discussion if the appropriate presiding authority permitted it. More than 40 Bills have been prioritised by the government for being taken up during the session which ends on December 20. These include Bills on amending the Representation of People’s Act to prevent criminalisation of politics, right to education, four important ordinances to amend the SEBI Act, repealing the UTI Act, and that pertaining to the management and maintenance of Delhi Metro Rail. The other Bills are the repeal of the IDBI Act to corporatise the financial institution, the Competition Bill and the Fiscal Responsibility Act. It also includes changes in rape law, Women’s Reservation Bill, the Central Vigilance Commission Bill to enhance the powers of the CVC, the Cable Television (Regulation) Bill and the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention) Bill. In the Rajya Sabha, 16 members elected recently will be administered the oath of affirmation. Among them are former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, J&K PCC Chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, business baron Lalit Suri, Prof Saifuddin Soz and Mr Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party.  |
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