Intolerance, GST bill set to take centre stage in Parliament

The Modi government is bracing up for a tough week in Parliament from today. The second day of the Winter Parliament is set to witness heated discussions on "situation arising out of incidents of intolerance" in the country.

The first two days of the session that began on November 26 were functional as parties did not want to be seen blocking a discussion on the Constitution on the occassion of Ambedkar's anniversary even though the opposition attacked the government over alleged rise in intolerance and communal violence.

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"The real confrontation will be there this week when the government brings its legislative agenda on the table. Congress, JD-U, CPI-M, CPI and Trinamool Congress have given separate notices to seek a discussion with and without voting, pass a resolution by the House and seek action against ministers making provocative speeches. Much depends on how the government responds to the opposition's issues," said a senior opposition party leader on condition of anonymity.

The Congress' notice has been moved by Deputy Leader of Opposition in the House Anand Sharma and the party plans to attack the government over alleged "orchestrated campaign to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation" and also raise issues like returning of awards by celebrated writers and others from the intelligensia.

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The notice by Sharma, which also seeks passing of a resolution by the House, condemns the "assault on the freedom of expression".

JD-U general secretary K C Tyagi has given a separate notice under Rule 267 to discuss the issue and the party has decided to seek the resignation of five Union Ministers over their alleged provocative remarks.

"Prime Minister Modi must signal his intent to act against people making such provocative remarks, more so against those from his Cabinet. We have given a notice and we are seeking action against the ministers," Tyagi told PTI.

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In a tweet, JD-U President Sharad Yadav said, "PM should have assured d country in his speech that there shall not be any communal violence which is on rise after NDA Govt came to power."

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has also given a notice in Rajya Sabha seeking passage of a one-line resolution by the House condemning incidents of "intolerance" and asking the government to ensure that they do not happen again.

In the Lok Sabha, the notices of CPI(M) member P Karunakaran and Congress MP K C Venugopal for a discussion on the matter has been listed for Monday.

The opposition has been seeking a discussion on the issue of intolerance for quite some time.

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At the all-party meeting held on November 25 in the backdrop of actor Aamir Khan's remarks on "growing intolerance", opposition parties had made a strong pitch for an early discussion on the issue, insisting that returning of awards by writers, artistes and filmmakers should not be taken lightly.

Six Left parties, including CPI(M), would also hold protests, both inside and outside the Parliament, on the "hate offensive" by BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits.

With most opposition parties keen on aggressively raising the issue, Indian Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said though the government does not agree with their perception of rising intolerance it was "willing to go along with the opposition in this regard for a discussion in an appropriate manner".

He had also contended that such incidents lie in the domain of the state governments, which are vested with responsibility to maintain law and order.

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The government has proposed five Bills for consideration and passing in the House this week. These are the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, National Waterways Bill, Electricity (Amendment) Bill, and Factories (Amendment) Bill.

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to discuss tomorrow "the situation arising out of incidents of intolerance in the country".

The Rajya Sabha will resume the discussion on "Commitment to the Constitution" as part of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of B R Ambedkar" which had started on Friday and remained inconclusive.

The Upper House is scheduled to take up Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, Whistle Blower Protection (Amendment) Bill, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill in the week.