‘Very positive’: Govt on all-party meeting ahead of Monsoon Session

A day before the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Central government on Sunday held an all-party meeting urging both the ruling and the Opposition sides to coordinate with each other to ensure smooth functioning of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

There will be a total of 21 sittings of both houses of Parliament during the Monsoon Session, which will draw to a close on August 21.

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Talking to reporters after the conclusion of the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called it “very positive”, stating that 54 MPs presented their views on the issues that they intend to raise during the monsoon session.

Rijiju stressed that it is a collective responsibility of both the ruling party and the Opposition to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament. “It was conveyed that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the Parliament runs smoothly,” he said.

Leaders from various political parties attended the meeting. The government was represented by Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

After the all-party meeting, Rijiju told mediapersons that the Union government was ready to hold discussions on key issues, including Operation Sindoor during the session.

Terming the meeting constructive, the Union minister emphasised the shared responsibility of all political parties, regardless of ideological differences. “Government noted their points. We have requested that to ensure that the House functions properly, the ruling side and Opposition should work together with good coordination. We might be political parties of different ideologies but it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that Parliament functions properly – Opposition’s as well as Government’s.”

When asked about a discussion on Operation Sindoor, he said, “This is a very good opinion. The all-party delegations to different parties in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor had gone down very well, effectively and all those great experiences must be shared before the nation. We must welcome it.”

On the issue of Justice Yashwant Varma, Rijiju said more than 100 MPs have signed a motion seeking his impeachment, which the government plans to bring forward during the current Parliament session. “In the Justice Varma case, the process will be undertaken together by all parties. This is not the move by the Government alone,” he added.

“A total of 54 members from 51 groups participated today, and 40 people expressed their party’s views. It has been very positive. All the political leaders have expressed their parties’ positions and have also presented the issues that they want to bring up in this session. We have noted all these points on behalf of the government,” the parliamentary affairs minister said.

He underlined the importance of collaboration, saying, “The government requested that the session run smoothly. The ruling party and the Opposition will have to work together, and coordination among themselves will have to be maintained.”

“Our political parties may have different ideologies, but it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the Parliament runs smoothly. The Opposition has a responsibility and the government has a responsibility too,” he added.

Addressing the concerns raised by smaller political outfits, Rijiju noted that their representatives often get limited time to speak due to the numerical strength-based system of the House.”People from small political parties, especially the parties with one or two members, get less time to speak because the system of Parliament runs on the basis of numbers. But we have taken this into our notice and we have also agreed on how to give enough time to small parties with 12 MPs. We will put this in front of the Speaker and the chairman of the house,” he said.

“The government reiterated its openness to discussion on all key issues raised by different parties, provided they align with parliamentary norms,” he added.

Rijiju said, “The Opposition presented their opinions. Leaders from the NDA, UPA (INDIA alliance), and other non-aligned parties spoke freely. We will take all these issues to Parliament. What will be discussed and how will be finalised in the Business Advisory Committee.”

The Monsoon Session is expected to witness heated debates with the Opposition gearing up to raise a range of issues, including foreign policy transparency, internal evictions, and electoral exercises like Bihar’s SIR campaign.

During the monsoon session of Parliament, the government plans to push its legislative agenda, which includes 8 new bills.