Parliament convenes today with govt pushing bills, Opposition targeting SIR

The Winter Session of Parliament begins on Monday, 1 December, running until 19 December, with the government gearing up to introduce a slate of Bills while the Opposition readies itself to corner the Treasury benches on multiple issues, foremost among them the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The session, lasting just 15 days, is expected to be one of the shortest in parliamentary history. On Sunday, an all-party meeting was convened to review the legislative agenda for both Houses and to discuss issues likely to arise during the session.

Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said opposition leaders would meet at the office of Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, at 10 am on Monday to chalk out their joint strategy in Parliament.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the all-party meeting, saying it had become a mere formality under the Modi government. He noted that the government had listed 13 Bills for passage, including one replacing an ordinance, while two have already been referred to a Lok Sabha committee.

“This means that ten Bills have not undergone scrutiny by the relevant Standing Committees,” he said, warning that the government could also introduce new legislation mid-session.

Ramesh added that the government’s decision to list a topic for short-duration discussion without consulting the Opposition “made its intentions clear”.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari argued that electoral reforms should be prioritised in the session. He also raised concerns about the recent blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, saying the incident highlighted failures in national security. Issues such as unemployment, inflation, law and order and economic distress, he said, must also be debated.

The Trinamool Congress has reiterated that it will strongly raise the SIR issue in the House. The party warned the government that parliamentary functioning would be affected if it refused to allow a discussion on the electoral roll revision exercise, which several Opposition parties have alleged is riddled with irregularities.

While the Opposition plans to press for debates on SIR, national security and governance failures, the government is expected to focus on pushing its legislative agenda. Among the key proposals is a Bill to open up India’s civil nuclear sector to private players, alongside amendments related to GST, excise norms and a new Health Security and National Security Cess.

With both sides holding firm positions, the short Winter Session is poised for a turbulent start, setting the stage for sharp exchanges in Parliament over the coming weeks.

With agency inputs