Sarbananda Sonowal (L), C Sadanandan Master (R)
Credit: PTI Photo, Special arrangement
Lawmakers from poll-bound Assam and Kerala -- Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and C Sadanandan Master -- will open the debate for the BJP on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.
Sonowal, who represents the Dibrugarh constituency in Assam, will move the motion in Lok Sabha while BJP's nominated MP C Sadanandan Master, who hails from Kerala, will start the proceedings in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
In Lok Sabha, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya will second the motion while Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra Medha Vishram Kulkarni will do the honours in the Upper House.
The choice of Sonowal and Sadanandan Master is part of a strategy to highlight the issues of the poll-bound states by the BJP. While in Kerala, the saffron party is trying to find a foothold, in Assam, it is in power for the past ten years.
The debate in both Houses are likely to see sparks flying with the Opposition all set to field top guns like Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress), Akhilesh Yadav (SP) and Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) taking the floor in Lok Sabha.
In Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool's Derek O'Brien, SP's Ramgopal Yadav, RJD's Manoj K Jha, DMK's Tiruchi Siva and CPI's John Brittas are likely to be fielded.
The Opposition is likely to raise several issues, including the repeal of MGNREGA, the UGC equity regulations, vote theft and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls among other issues.