Government-Opposition gulf widens as Monsoon Session enters last lap

Parliament is entering the fourth and final week of the Monsoon Session on Monday with the gulf between the government and the Opposition widening even as the government listed the introduction of a crucial bill to amend the Constitution to restore the powers of the states to identify Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, which will be introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday, could see the Opposition tweaking its strategy by discontinuing its protest demanding an immediate discussion on the Pegasus episode, as any obstruction of its passage would be used by the ruling BJP against them, especially against the backdrop of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab among others early next year.

Sources said a decision on how to deal with this Bill as well as other floor strategies will be decided during a meeting of the Opposition floor leaders in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chaired by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge at 10 am on Monday.

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"Let them first bring the Bill. Then we will spell out what we will do. Leaders will be meeting on Monday to decide on floor strategy," a senior Opposition leader said.

The government, which has listed the introduction of The Constitution (127th) Amendment Bill 2021 in Lok Sabha on Monday, has remained adamant on not allowing a discussion on Pegasus in Parliament, ignoring the protests by the Opposition MPs since the beginning of the Monsoon Session on July 19.

The session is scheduled to end on August 13 before which the government intends to pass more bills, including the General Insurance Business Nationalisation (Amendment) Bill that proposes to enhance the private sector role in public sector insurance companies. Among others, the Opposition wants the bill on insurance companies to be sent to a Select Committee.

Indicating that there is no going back on the demand for a discussion on Pegasus, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will have to answer on national security issues.

Asked who has won the battle so far, O'Brien said, "the government has been successful in turning Parliamentary democracy into autocracy. They were successful in illegally passing Bills. Modi and Shah were successful in ducking questions in Parliament by not attending business in the House except for a day. It is successful in dismantling Parliament."

Also Read | Opposition makes video of its members sneaking in Pegasus, farmers during discussions on bills in RS

In the past 14 sittings in three weeks, Lok Sabha has passed 14 Bills in 1:15 hours while Rajya Sabha has passed 12 Bills in 4:52 hours. The Opposition has accused the government of rushing through Bills without proper discussion.

According to the Lok Sabha bulletin, The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Bill 2021 was passed in 14 minutes, the highest time taken for a legislation in the Lower House while Appropriation Bill No 3 was passed in two minutes. The Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill was passed in 13 minutes while Essential Defence Service Bill 2021 was cleared in just 12 minutes.

In Rajya Sabha, Essential Defence Service Bill 2021 and The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill 2021 took the highest time of 34 minutes each.

Seven Bills were passed by both the Houses during this session.

Here's how long it took to pass the Bills in the respective Houses.

Rajya Sabha:

Bill	Duration
The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill 2021	40 minutes
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill 2021	18 minutes
The Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill 2021	14 minutes
The Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill 2021	5 minutes
The Inland Vessels Bill 2021	33 minutes
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2021	35 minutes
The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill 2021	23 minutes
The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill	16 minutes
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Bill 2021	15 minutes
The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021	14 minutes
The Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill 2021	34 minutes
The Essential Defence Service Bill 2021	45 minutes

Lok Sabha:

Bill	Duration
The Factoring Regulation Amendment Bill 2021	13 minutes
The National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill 2021	6 minutes
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill 2021	5 minutes
Supplementary Demands for Grants – First Batch for 2021-2022 and Demands for Excess Grants for 2017-18	9 minutes
The Appropriation Bill No 3	2 minutes
The Appropriation Bill No 4	3 minutes
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Bill 2021	14 minutes
The Inland Vessels Bill 2021	6 minutes
The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021	8 minutes
The Essential Defence Service Bill 2021	12 minutes
The Tribunal Reforms Bill, 2021	9 minutes
The Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill 2021	9 minutes
The Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill 2021	5 minutes
The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021	6 minutes
The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill 2021