Union Ministers of State asked to 'concentrate on proceedings in Rajya Sabha'; govt braces for Opposition's onslaught

Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 18

The Union Ministers of State (MoS) on Sunday was directed to concentrate on proceedings in Rajya Sabha during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament as part of the government’s floor strategy to ensure the smooth functioning of the House.

A well-placed source said that the directive in the matter is at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The strategy was in the wake of revamping in the recent Council of Ministers and induction of young faces in it.

As part of the government’s strategy, the Cabinet Ministers would, however, be attending to parliamentary and Ministerial needs in both the Houses as a matter of routine, and as per exigencies arising during the proceedings.

The junior Ministers have been directed to contribute to better floor management in the Upper House. Also, they should add to their domain knowledge about their respective Ministries and Departments which accrue from discussions and debates, and queries of the Members.

They should be geared up to give extempore replies to questions and on points raised by Opposition benches.

This was to avert misunderstanding between the Treasury Benches and the Opposition through timely interventions in the House.

Misunderstanding and lack of communication between the two sides lead to flashpoints, their subsequent festering ending up in a miasma of the whole shebang of political negativism including logjams and disruptions of the House.

The BJP-NDA does not have a majority in the Upper House. In the past, the government was able to successfully pilot legislations through staccato grace and goodwill of some opposition parties like the BJD.

This lifeline could not be taken by the ruling NDA for granted, and forever, given the factious party-politics, and electoral upmanship between the assertive BJP and competing for regional outfits in the country’s political system.

Due to the superiority of numbers, the opposition benches have been aggressive against the government in the past. For example with regard passage of the three Central farm laws.

The negative developments in the House have an impact on politics and act as a cue and emboldening for opponents of the BJP.

The feeling in government circles is that the Opposition will be adopting aggressive postures against the government and try to put it on the mat on a range of issues, including the second surge of Covid, farmers’ agitation, international relations, etc.

Because of the upcoming Assembly elections in States, including in the crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be due in February-March 2022. Political parties and vested interests have already started posturing with regard to them.