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Parl winter session from Dec 15 to Jan 5, Bill to ban triple talaq on agenda

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9 years ago

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Parliament

Session will witness only 14 days of work; Opposition to target BJP over GST rollout impact, rising food prices and allegations against Amit Shah and son

Finally, the suspense over whether or not the Centre will convene the winter session of Parliament ended on Friday. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) met under the chairmanship of Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday morning and decided that the winter session will be convened from December 15 to January 5, with just 14 working days.

The announcement of the schedule for the winter session – traditionally convened between mid-November and mid-December – came after sustained criticism of the Centre by the Opposition parties of delaying the Parliament session due to elections scheduled for the Gujarat assembly.

Gujarat will go to polls in two phases – December 9 and 14 – while the result will be announced on December 18 along with that of the Himachal Pradesh assembly election for which votes were cast on November 9.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar brushed aside attacks from the Opposition over the Centre’s delay in convening the winter session. Asserting that “the schedule of the Parliament Session has been decided so as to avoid any overlap with the Assembly Elections in the States”, Kumar told mediapersons that this was not an “unprecedented practice”.

Kumar, who is part of the CCPA, told reporters that parliament sessions have, in the past, been delayed during the government’s headed by PV Narsimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh – both prime ministers who headed Congress-led coalitions – using the same argument of avoiding a clash with assembly polls.

Though a small session, which after factoring in Christmas holidays (December 25 and 26) and weekends will leave just 14 working days for legislative proceedings, the winter session is set to witness stormy scenes between the Treasury and Opposition benches.

The Congress-led Opposition – after months of deliberations over projecting unity in countering the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government – is expected to come armed with a host of issues on which it would seek to put the Centre on the mat.

Among the issues that the Opposition is likely to rake up to corner the Centre are the continuing adverse impacts on the economy and lives of common citizens from demonetisation and the GST rollout and rising food prices. The Congress and other Opposition parties are also expected to slam the government on allegations of financial impropriety and opacity that have been leveled in news reports against two prodigal sons – BJP president Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s son Shaurya.

Besides, the recent allegations by the family members of a judge who died under mysterious circumstances while he was presiding over the Sohrabbudin Sheikh encounter case in which Amit Shah was an accused, will also be used by the Opposition to counter the BJP.

The session is also likely to draw some attention on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi as it is expected to be the first session of Parliament that Rahul would participate in after his likely elevation as Congress president (possibly on December 5).

However, despite the expected onslaught from the Opposition, the Centre is planning to come armed with an important list of legislative agenda which would help Modi.

The agenda, which is likely to include a Bill that proposes to ban the Islamic practice of instant triple talaq (talaq-ul-biddat), which had been declared “unislamic, arbitrary and unconstitutional” by a historic Supreme Court verdict earlier this year, would help the Narendra Modi government to effectively counter the Opposition in case of a deadlock forced through its protests in Parliament. If the Opposition’s protests cause a logjam in Parliament, Modi and his BJP will have the opportunity to tell the public that they had a reformist legislative agenda but could not pursue it because of the Opposition.

Besides the proposed Bill banning instant triple talaq, the Centre is likely to re-introduce a Bill that envisages a constitutional status for the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to which the Opposition had successfully moved three crucial amendments in the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session, forcing the government to withdraw the Bill it had already got cleared from the Lok Sabha.

At Friday’s media briefing on the agenda for the winter session, Kumar told mediapersons that the issues of NCBC and triple talaq are “very important” and that “the country expects that the Bills pertaining to these two issues will come to Parliament in this Winter Session.” Kumar added: “If that is the aspiration of the country, the Government is committed to respond to this desire.”

Also on the agenda of the Parliament would be the government’s effort to replace three key ordinances with Acts of Parliament. These ordinances are – Goods & Services Tax (Compensation to States) Ordinance, 2017, the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 and the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017.

However, Congress president Sonia Gandhi‘s demand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of getting the Women’s Reservation Bill passed by Parliament is likely to remain unfulfilled during the upcoming session, sources said.

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Kharge, Rahul Gandhi skip Independence Day event for 2nd straight year

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

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1 day ago

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August 15, 2026

By

Rahul Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Independence Day celebrations at the historic venue on Saturday.

The absence of the two senior Congress leaders comes amid strained relations between the ruling party and the Opposition, which further deteriorated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that concluded on Thursday.

2024 seating controversy

Rahul Gandhi had attended the Independence Day celebrations in 2024 but his seating arrangement triggered a controversy. The Congress leader, who holds the status of a Cabinet minister as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seated in the second-last row during the ceremony at the Red Fort.

The Opposition had criticised the seating arrangement, calling it an insult to the people. The Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said the arrangement had been modified to accommodate Olympians at the venue.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition is seated in the front row during ceremonial events.

Opposition-ruling party tensions

Relations between the government and the Opposition remained tense during the Monsoon Session, which ended on Thursday.

The session saw repeated clashes between the two sides, with both the Opposition and the ruling party blaming each other for the low productivity of Parliament.

The session began on July 20, with students marching towards Parliament on the first day. Twelve bills were passed during the session, while detailed discussion took place on only one legislation, concerning paper leaks.

The Congress, along with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die.

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Assam BJP leader Bikash Dhar found dead, 5 arrested for murder

BJP leader Bikash Dhar, 52, was found dead in an abandoned house in Assam’s Sribhumi district after being reported missing on August 12. Police have arrested five people in connection with the alleged murder.

Published

2 days ago

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August 14, 2026

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A 52-year-old BJP leader who had been missing for two days was found dead in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Friday, with police alleging that he was murdered.

Bikash Dhar, a resident of Chagalmowa village under Bazaricherra police station, was found dead inside an abandoned house in the Yogicherra area near the Tripura border on Friday morning.

Dhar’s family had filed a missing complaint on August 12 after he left home following a phone call.

According to his son Madan Dhar, Bikash left around 1 pm after saying that he had to attend an emergency meeting. When he did not return and his phone was switched off, the family began searching for him and later approached the police.

Five arrested in murder case

Sribhumi Superintendent of Police Leena Doley said an investigation was launched after the missing complaint was received. The probe was conducted under the supervision of the Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime).

Police said five people have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder. They were identified as Abdul Salam, Sifat Ali, Abdul Ahad, Saiful Ali and Badrul Haque.

According to the police, interrogation of Abdul Salam revealed that the accused had an enmity with Dhar. Police alleged that the group killed him and dumped his body near a water body.

Another person, identified as Sunam Miya, was named during the investigation and reportedly fled to Tripura on the night of the incident.

Police find injury and cut marks on body

Police said injury and cut marks were found on Dhar’s body, and a murder case has been registered.

During the recovery of the alleged weapon, police said accused Badrul Haque attempted to escape from custody. A police constable was injured during the incident.

Police said they fired at Haque’s leg to prevent him from escaping, resulting in a bullet wound.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dhar’s death and the alleged involvement of the accused is underway.

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Karnataka Cabinet clears public property bill amid RSS registration row

Karnataka Cabinet approves a Bill to regulate the use of government premises and public property amid a political row over RSS registration.

Published

2 days ago

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August 14, 2026

By

Priyank Kharge

The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a proposed law to regulate the use of government premises and public property in the state, amid an ongoing political debate over the registration and use of public spaces by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Karnataka Regulation of Use of Government Premises and Public Property Bill, 2026 was cleared by the Cabinet, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said after the meeting.

According to the government, the proposed legislation aims to establish a legal framework governing the use of government lands, buildings, playgrounds, parks, roads and other public assets by private individuals, organisations, associations and societies.

Kharge said the objective was to prevent unauthorised use and misuse of public property while ensuring that such assets are protected for public benefit.

What the Karnataka public property bill proposes

The proposed legislation is expected to lay down procedures for obtaining permission to use government property for events, meetings and other activities.

It also proposes provisions for penalties in cases involving misuse of government premises or damage to public property, according to officials.

The government is expected to introduce the Bill in the Karnataka legislature, where it will be taken up for discussion and passage.

Priyank Kharge denies Bill targets RSS

The proposed legislation comes against the backdrop of a row involving the RSS and its use of public property in Karnataka.

Kharge, however, rejected speculation that the Bill had been framed specifically against the RSS or any other organisation. He said the government did not have a particular institution, association, organisation, society, club, union, syndicate or NGO in mind.

The issue has been part of a wider political debate since 2025, with Kharge opposing the use of government premises and public property by the RSS and calling for the organisation to register formally.

In June, Kharge also wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarity on the organisation’s legal status, financial transparency and constitutional accountability.

The development is likely to keep the debate over the use of public property and the legal status of organisations in Karnataka in focus as the proposed legislation moves to the state legislature.

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