Parliament's Monsoon Session To Begin Today, Intense Showdowns Likely

The parliament's monsoon session will open today amid an acrimonious battle between the Centre and the Opposition parties over key issues, including contentious bills and Trinamool Congress MPs aligning with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).Intense debates on national controversies are expected to dominate the 19 sittings till the monsoon session ends on August 13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to address the media this morning, just before the session starts.The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is the prime target of the Opposition parties. Yesterday, they staged a symbolic walkout in protest against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's decision to invite the NCPI to an all-party meeting.Opposition leaders alleged the NCPI is merely a "parking place" for the 20 rebel Trinamool MPs, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and Trinamool's Mahua Moitra pointing out that the Lok Sabha Speaker has not yet officially approved their merger, making their recognition illegal.Speaker Om Birla has allowed separate seating for the 20 MPs, pending the official merger. Rijiju termed the walkout as "symbolic" and said the government can't deprive any MP of their rights based on numerical strength. NCPI chief Sudip Bandyopadhyay defended his faction, calling it a "secular party" committed to communal harmony - three of the 20 rebel MPs are Muslim.The Lok Sabha's strength now is such that the NDA is inching closer to the highly coveted two-thirds majority - 360 seats in the 540-member house, with three seats currently vacant. The NDA has 298 seats. If the Speaker approves the merger, the NDA's strength will rise to 318.There is speculation the Centre may reintroduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill that proposes increasing Lok Sabha seats to 850 and implementing a 33 per cent women's reservation. It was previously defeated in April, with the Opposition furiously against the delimitation aspect. Parties like the DMK had alleged it would reduce the political might of southern states.The other key bills that will come up during the monsoon session include the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which will be tabled by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. This bill will replace an ordinance to increase the maximum number of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37.The highly debated Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill that will set a designated authority to manage and dispose of foreign assets will be another big issue. It provides strict rules for cancelling NGO FCRA certificates upon expiry, a matter that was already a flashpoint ahead of the recent assembly election in Kerala.The Speaker has advised all parties to ensure constructive debates.Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh has already moved a notice in the Rajya Sabha to discuss the NEET-UG paper leak. The Opposition also plans to aggressively raise allegations regarding the Ayodhya Ram Temple offerings theft case.