Parliament’s winter session begins on Monday, December 1. The Centre and the opposition are ready for a direct clash. Two issues will dominate the floor. These are the National Herald FIR against the Gandhis and the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, called SIR.

The Trinamool Congress, DMK, and Samajwadi Party will intensify their protest. They will raise the voter list revision inside Parliament. They will also continue protests outside.

Opposition Raises Alarm Over SIR

Opposition leaders allege political interference in the SIR process. They say the Centre is influencing the Election Commission. They also claim serious irregularities in the voter list revision.

First, they protested on the streets. Now, they plan to challenge the government inside Parliament.

Short Session, Big Worries

The winter session will end on December 19. It is very short. Therefore, repeated disruptions can delay important work. The government plans to introduce 10 major bills. These relate to nuclear energy, higher education, corporate law, and the securities market.

To prepare, senior ministers met at Rajnath Singh’s residence on November 26. They planned the government’s strategy. Meanwhile, Kiren Rijiju called an all-party meeting on Sunday. He asked parties to support smooth functioning.

Government Pushes ‘Vande Mataram’ Debate

The government wants a discussion on 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’. It wants a debate on its full recitation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently raised the issue again. He alleged that the Congress removed several lines in 1937. He said this planted the “seeds of Partition.”

Centre Calls SIR “Non-Negotiable”

The Centre has made its stand clear. It will not allow debate on SIR in Parliament.

It says voter list revision is a routine Election Commission process. Centre says Parliament cannot discuss it. It also points to Supreme Court directions. It claims the EC is acting as per the court’s guidance.

The government also cites the NDA’s big win in Bihar. It says voters do not see SIR as a political issue.

TMC, DMK, SP Refuse to Back Down

The TMC will take an aggressive stand. Its leaders met Election Commission officials. They accused the authorities of using SIR to tamper with voter lists. They also accused them of artificially increasing booths in West Bengal. The state will vote early next year.

The BJP has increased its campaign in West Bengal. This has triggered a strong reaction from Mamata Banerjee. She has called SIR a “conspiracy".

Tensions are also rising in Tamil Nadu. The DMK has accused the Centre of manipulating the revision process. In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has flagged irregularities. It plans to raise the matter strongly in Parliament.

More Issues on the Table

The opposition will also attack the government over:

• Nuclear energy reforms

• Indian Higher Education Commission bill

• Chandigarh constitutional amendment

• Unemployment

• Delhi-NCR air pollution

These issues may lead to more clashes.

What Happened at the All-Party Meeting?

SIR dominated the all-party meeting. The SP and TMC demanded a discussion. JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha rejected the demand. He said the last session “got washed out" due to SIR. RJD leader Manoj Jha opposed him.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticised the government. He said the session is the shortest ever and the government is “not interested and is, therefore, derailing it".

He said, “We demanded discussion on Delhi blast but the government doesn’t want it. Second, we want a discussion on SIR, on climate and our economy. There is no security for our labour. Flood management discussion also needs to happen. Failure of our foreign policy must also be addressed, as it is being made as per demands by other countries,"

He added that the opposition is united. A joint strategy meeting will take place under Mallikarjun Kharge.