JOIN USThe Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin on July 18 and continue till August 10 during which the Union government is planning a determined push to pass the triple talaq bill and a legislation to grant statutory status to the OBC Commission.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday decided to recommend to President Ramnath Kovind to summon the Monsoon Session of Parliament from July 18 to August 10.
“The monsoon session will have 18 sittings and our priority would be to replace the six ordinances promulgated during the inter-session period with Acts of Parliament,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters.
With the Budget Session of Parliament washed out with little legislative business, Kumar said the government would make every effort to reach out to Opposition leaders to ensure a smooth conduct of the Monsoon Session.
Kumar said the two ministers of state – Vijay Goel and Arjun Ram Meghwal - would be meeting Opposition leaders soon.
The election to the post of the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha will also be conducted during the Monsoon Session as incumbent P J Kurien completes his tenure as Rajya Sabha member this month end.
While the NDA is yet to open its cards about its nominee for the post, the Opposition may field Trinamool Congress leader Sukhendu Shekhar Ray or BJD leader Prasanna Acharya as its joint candidate.
Kumar said the government was keen to get parliamentary approval for important bills, including the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, National Medical Commission Bill, Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Second Amendment) Bill.
The triple talaq bill, which has been passed by the Lok Sabha and is pending in the Rajya Sabha, will be among the top priorities of the government, Kumar said.
In December, the Lok Sabha passed the contentious bill making instant triple illegal with a provision of up to three years jail term for the husband. The government hailed the bill as “historic” and it was a campaign issue for the BJP in the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Karnataka.
Apparently aware that the bill may not pass muster in the Rajya Sabha, the government appeared in a mood to accept a few suggestions made by the Opposition.