Winter session set to be stormy

Opposition likely to raise arrest of Shankaracharya, issue of tainted ministers

Although a heavy legislative agenda awaits the winter session of Parliament, indications are that with the re-induction of Shibu Soren in the council of ministers, who still has some legal cases pending against him, and the Shankaracharya issue, the new session of Parliament beginning on December 1 is not going to be a peaceable affair.

The main Opposition slammed the United Progressive Alliance government soon after Soren was re-inducted into the Cabinet saying the "moral fabric of the government is a complete suspect" and vowed to raise it in Parliament.

At their meeting with Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on November 23, the opposition parties had promised that they would ensure smooth functioning of the House. However, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) said it would raise issues "aggressively, offensively and assertively".

The party is unlikely to disturb Parliament proceedings but is bound to raise the issue of "tainted" ministers. This could also be a part of the BJP strategy as the Jharkhand Assembly poll is not far off.

The National Democratic Alli-ance (NDA) had vociferously raised the issue of "tainted" ministers in the Budget session after an arrest warrant was issued against Soren in a murder case. The proceedings were disrupted for most part of the session and both the Houses were adjourned prematurely.

Another Bill that will not be introduced in the winter session but has the potential of derailing the discussion is the proposed legislation on communal violence.

The Bill will define communal disturbance, provide for stringent punishment to offenders and extend compensation to the victims. Coming as it does after the Gujarat riots, the NDA is certain to oppose the proposed legislation.

"We want to make a law which is effective and which will remain in the statute books for many, many years to come. And the Bill will be in accordance with the wishes of the people and their demands and opinions," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.

The Bill was being drafted by the law ministry on the basis of a detailed paper prepared by the home ministry to control communal disturbances, he added.

"The draft and the paper will be put on the Internet and we will hold seminars and encourage a countrywide debate to elicit people's opinion before finalising it," he said.

The problem with the Bill is likely to be that it will see the minorities as a special section of society for which special courts will be envisaged. Given the BJP's opposition to appeasement of minorities, the move will evoke a lot of opposition.

The winter session will have 17 sittings and 11 Bills will replace ordinances promulgated during the inter-session period. Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said efforts were on to ensure that maximum number of Bills were passed in the session.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has already said if necessary, the session would be extended beyond the three-odd weeks that it is likely to last.