Another day, another adjournment

The Hindu

2 days ago

A continuing deadlock between the Treasury and the Opposition led to Wednesday's sitting mimicking that of Tuesday wherein continual protests from members of the Opposition led to as many as three adjournments before both houses called it a day. The Opposition continued to press the treasury for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. As reported earlier, the revision exercise has ignited concerns about potential disenfranchisement with the process itself being allegedly mired in confusion and politics. Further aggravating concerns of the Opposition, the Election Commission has indicated that exercise would also be carried out in poll-bound states of West Bengal and Assam, among other states.
In a social media post, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged the larger paradigm related to electoral malpractice and rigging. He held similar 'match fixing' took place in Maharashtra and Karnataka. 'In Bihar, votes of SC, ST, OBC and minority brothers and sisters are being stolen in the name of SIR,' he argued.
The SIR is not the only point of contention this Session. The Opposition is also pressuring the government to hold a discussion on Operation Sindoor and the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Though the treasury had affirmed their commitment for the discussion, a definite time and date was not ascertained. The paradigm however appeared to be heading for a conclusive end yesterday. The Hindu learnt that the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha concurred for a 16-hour discussion on the subject next week, in line with the decision in the Lok Sabha. The house of Elders will initiate the discussion on Tuesday (July 29) a day after the Lok Sabha. However, there was no assurance forthcoming for a discussion on the electoral revision exercise in Bihar.
Several proposed legislations find themselves entangled in the deadlock. Among them being a bill that seeks to accord reserved seats to members of the Scheduled Tribes in the Goan legislative assembly. Notwithstanding their population (about 1.5 lakh; as per the Primary Census Abstract, 2011), at present the state legislative assembly does not accord any reserved seats to STs. The bill seeks to readjust this paradigm. Do consider reading The Hindu's detailed reportage for deeper insights.
The Sports Governance Bill is another crucial legislation mired in the stalemate. It seeks to lighten the load on the judiciary by instituting a Sports Tribunal, headed by a Supreme Court judge, to ensure speedy redressal of disputes. Kamlesh Srinivasan's reportage had pointed out that many National Sports Federations are caught in legal tussles that have been dragging on for years. Thus, harming their sport.
With adjournments having marred proceedings in the initial three days, it would be poignant to see if any of the legislations find passage on Thursday. More importantly, how the discussions are facilitated to potentially bring an end to the impasse.
Do follow our live coverage for real time updates on what transpires in the legislative corridors today.
Until next time.