BJP, Congress Issue Whips As Parliament Heads For Final-Week Showdown

The third week of Parliament's monsoon session also ended amid a standoff between the government and the Opposition. 

Although the government has managed to pass several important bills, attention is now focused on two specific ones: the Constitution Amendment Bill regarding delimitation and women's reservation, and the FCRA Amendment Bill concerning foreign contributions. 

The government has only one week left to secure its passage. 

It has instructed all its MPs to remain present in the House next week, while the Congress party has issued a three-line whip to all its MPs.

There is a conflict between the Congress and the government regarding the FCRA and delimitation bills. 

Government sources suggest that the Congress is under pressure from certain Christian organisations that want the party to oppose the FCRA bill. 

There is no consensus within the Congress, say sources, regarding opposition to the delimitation bill; this lack of unity is hindering the party from reaching an agreement with the government to resolve the parliamentary deadlock.

Some government ministers believe that the DMK might support the delimitation bill. This would be a significant development, as it could deprive South Indian parties of a key issue for Opposition. 

The DMK, says sources, has placed certain conditions before the government, which are currently under consideration. The Home Minister has already spoken about including a provision in the bill to increase the number of seats by 50 per cent, and there is also a proposal to delink delimitation from the census. Given these factors, the DMK should face no difficulty in supporting the bill, the sources said.

If the DMK comes on board, opposition to the delimitation bill in South India could dissipate, and attempts to turn it into a major political issue would likely fail. 

However, some leaders within the Tamil Nadu Congress wish to keep the issue alive. Consequently, following their intervention, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has convened an all-party meeting on Saturday to exert pressure on the DMK regarding this matter.

The DMK is likely to stay away from this meeting; even if it does participate, it is unlikely to clearly state its stance during the proceedings. According to government sources, since Vijay has no MPs in the Lok Sabha, it is easy for him to take a stand on the Delimitation Bill and keep the issue alive to corner the DMK.

Efforts to Resolve the Deadlock

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has spoken to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on three occasions. Government sources feel that Rahul Gandhi is not serious about resolving the deadlock. 

Typically, such standoffs involve a "give-and-take" approach - where both the government and the opposition concede on certain points - but in the current impasse, neither side is willing to back down.

The Congress demands that Home Minister Amit Shah come to the House and make a statement regarding the Delhi Police's action against protesters on July 20. 

The government suspects the Opposition's intentions, fearing that opposition MPs might attempt to corner the Home Minister just as they tried to do with Prime Minister Modi. 

Amit Shah is slated to reply to the debate on the FCRA Bill.

Opposition leaders believe a resolution is possible if the government yields on one of the bills, thereby paving the way for the passage of the other. Suggestions have been made to either amend the FCRA Bill or refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Such a move could create a conducive atmosphere for passing the Delimitation Bill. However, government sources have ruled out the possibility of amending the FCRA Bill.

Meanwhile, the government is currently biding its time. 

It is reported that the strategy will be finalised over the next two days, with decisions regarding which bill to introduce and when expected by Monday. 

Sources indicate that options remain open to introduce the FCRA Bill during the current session while convening a special session for the Delimitation Bill.