Monday's Presidential election, little else in likely muted Monsoon session

Key bills that are relatively non-controversial have been listed. Four have already been cleared by departmental standing committees, 24 new ones to be introduced

The Monsoon session of Parliament to be held between July 18 and August 12 will see the election of a new President of India, a new vice president (who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha) and the likely passage of around eight bills. Twenty four new bills will be introduced.

Given the political divisions in the two houses (most opposition parties boycotted an all-party meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday), Parliament is not expected to transact too much business during 18 sittings that it is expected to hold. The government has called an all-party meeting on the crisis in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, hoping to secure a consensus as an endorsement of its largely 'stand aloof' policy on the politics in the island.

However, domestic elections are expected to dominate proceedings in the first two weeks. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has already been announced as the vice presidential candidate and his election (6 August), by an electoral college comprising MPs of the two houses, is a foregone conclusion. The opposition choice is former Governor and Union Minister Margaret Alva, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar announced today. Alva’s chances of getting the job are low.

The same applies to the election of the President, due tomorrow (18 July) that will see a common opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha pitted against Droupadi Murmu, proposed by the BJP. Although Sinha has campaigned vigorously, Murmu is expected to be a shoo-in because of the bipartisan support she has received from even members of the opposition who don’t support the BJP on other issues, like the Shiv Sena.
 

The Opposition has picked former governor and minister Margaret Alva as its vice presidential candidate. On Saturday, the NDA had announced West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its candidate. Photo: PTI

On the legislative business anvil, several important bills that are relatively non-controversial, have been listed for debate and passing. Four bills have already been cleared by departmental standing committees which means a measure of consensus on them has already been achieved. These are the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019, which puts into effect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, making piracy on the high seas punishable with life imprisonment or death. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill which removes an upper limit on the maintenance amount payable to parents and redefines children, parents and relatives, has also been cleared by a standing committee and is likely to be passed, as is the the National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021, that seeks to regulates anti-doping activities in sport; and The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021, which increases the number of species protected under the law.

A constitutional amendment bill adjusting the number of scheduled tribes in Uttar Pradesh for reservation will also likely be passed.

Among the bills that will affect economy and business and could be introduced and discussed are The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2022, that makes changes in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and proposes new laws on cross-border insolvency. The Development of Enterprises and Services Hubs (DESH) Bill, 2022, revises the Special Economic Zones Act. The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 seeks to rationalise the government’s role in multi-state cooperative societies to protect depositors/ members from vested interests and mismanagement of multi-state cooperative societies. The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 aims to changes the governing structure of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), and proposes amendments to address the needs of new age markets.

An important omission from the list is the new law on data protection that has already been cleared by a joint parliamentary committee, but on which stakeholder consultation is continuing. This law is among the most eagerly awaited pieces of legislation because of the far-reaching impact it will have on e-commerce, data localisation and other aspects of the digital economy. The government will likely postpone this bill to the Winter session.

The session promises to be exciting and politically crucial, not so much for the government but for the opposition, which will flag a number of political issues including the change of government in Maharashtra that saw a Shiv Sena government being deposed by the BJP; issues of action by the Enforcement Directorate; and issues relating to GST.

Word on new rules on the functioning of the Rajya Sabha, proposed by a committee instituted by outgoing Vice President and presiding officer Venkaiah Naidu will also be awaited: Once he is elected, Jagdeep Dhankhar is expected to take a view on it with tougher punishments proposed for disruption of the house.