The month-long Winter session of Parliament, which started from Monday, 18 November, will see 39 legislations being taken up for passage including the much-anticipated Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. A day before the session, the Opposition on Sunday said it will raise issues of economic slowdown and farmers’ woes, and demanded that detained Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah be allowed to attend the House.
APN’s popular debate Mudda discussed the issues related to the winter session, which is likely to become rumbustious. Anchorperson Akshay posed the questions to the panelists, including the BJP’s Vijay Khera, Congress’s Manoj Tiwari, SP’s Farhat Hasan, political expert Pramod Goswami and noted scribe Atul Chandra.
Khera said: “The Shiv Sena MPs are being allotted seats on the opposition side in both houses of parliament as the party is ‘working out’ an alliance with the Congress and NCP to form the government in Maharashtra.”
Tiwari said:”The Maharashtra imbroglio does not affect our health.”
Goswami said: “In Maharashtra, all parties have displayed an adamant stance. As far as Farooq Abdullah is concerned, he should also look at the bigger picture. The government has to ensure that work is carried on in earnest, there are many sticky issues that are likely to be taken up.”
Khera said: “As far as the Citizenship Amendment Bill is concerned, leaders should debate in all honesty and truthfulness, being true to their conscience. This Bill is for the people. In Kashmir, Hindus have been driven out of their homes, but the BJP is committed to maintain communal harmony.”
Tiwari said: “The government is just into headline-management. Demand to get Farooq Abdullah to attend the House needs to be looked into as well.”
Chandra said:”There has never been any session without hungama (noise), and you can expect hungama in this session too. The Citizen Amendment Bill is likely to stir heat. When Kashmir is to be discussed, do not possible that the session will be peaceful…. hungama hoga, everybody is given the opportunity to express their views. SS-BJP ties have got strained. But the debate is going to be interesting to watch.”
Khera said: “Sharad Pawar has commented that the BJP and Shiv Sena must choose their own path. In politics, there are no permanent friends or foes.”
At this point, Mudda showed a live clip of PM Modi addressing Rajya Sabha. Modi stated that the “Rajya Sabha should not become a secondary house”
Picking up the debate, Goswami said: “The PM’s message is good.”
Mudda then showed a clip of former PM Manmohan Singh talking about the economic slowdown in Rajya Sabha.
Hasan said: “Farmers issues also need to be taken up in the winter session.”
Khera said: “The point is not of debate, actually the opposition does not want to debate, most of the time they are ending up stalling House proceedings.”