- Opposition plans unified strategy for Monsoon Session.
- Ram Mandir donation theft, NEET paper leak key issues.
- Rahul Gandhi to lead student issues in Parliament.
Amidst ongoing discussions about the possible reintroduction of the Delimitation Bill, Opposition parties have started chalking out a common strategy to corner the Treasury Bench during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins next week, with issues that could put the government on the back foot.
Initial consultations of the opposition suggest that the INDI Alliance will prominently raise burning issues like the huge theft of offerings from Lord Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya, NEET-UG paper leak, CBSE marking controversy, ethanol blending row, the controversial SIR process of the Election Commission, economic challenges, inflation and unemployment in Parliament.
On the issue of the Ram Mandir donation theft case, the opposition parties are preparing to launch an aggressive attack against the BJP government in Parliament.
To provide stability and unity to the opposition politics shaken by the incident of 26 Lok Sabha MPs of Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena UBT breaking away and joining the BJP-NDA, the main opposition party Congress is considering the Shri Ram Temple offering theft case as the most sensitive issue in the monsoon session.
Congress to demand donation theft probe under sitting SC judge
Congress Communications General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has already made clear the party's intention to raise the Ayodhya donation theft case in Parliament, saying, "The RSS, VHP, and BJP have betrayed the faith of Lord Shri Ram and hurt the sentiments of millions of people across the country. Therefore, opposition parties will strongly raise the demand for an investigation into the theft of offerings from the temple, under the supervision of a sitting Supreme Court judge, in Parliament as well."
What to expect from Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi?
Another major issue is related to students as serious questions have been raised over the education system in the past few weeks. Flaws in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system in CBSE Class 12 board exams, along with the recent cases of cancellation of several exams including NEET-UG due to paper leak, is also on the priority list of the opposition.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been campaigning against this issue through "Chhatraon Ki Goonj" (Echoes of Students), targeting the BJP government, from PM Modi to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. By participating in the third episode of "Chhatraon Ki Goonj" in Dehradun on July 17, just three days before the monsoon session, Rahul Gandhi will send a clear message of his intention to raise this issue in the monsoon session.
Ethanol blending program under question
A key parliamentary strategist for a regional party aligned with the Congress party said that while there is undoubtedly complete consensus within the opposition camp on both issues, the government's admission that 20 per cent ethanol adulteration of petrol reduces vehicle mileage clearly demonstrates that public complaints on this issue are not only legitimate, but also warrant raising their concerns in Parliament.
The opposition is preparing to specifically target Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri on the ethanol issue.