44 Bills in 16 Days of Parliament: Will Opposition Play Ball?

New Delhi: The Aug 5-30 monsoon session of parliament could see a battle of political wits with the government listing 44 bills for the only 16 working days available. These include the food security bill, those related to reforms in the insurance and pension sectors and an amendment to the RTI Act to keep political parties out of its ambit. But the big question is: Will the opposition, riled over a variety of issues, play ball?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also stepped into the picture, hoping that the monsoon session would be "constructive and productive" and sought cooperation of all political parties for this.

"We expect a constructive and productive session of parliament...I sincerely hope all sections of the house will cooperate in making this a very productive, constructive session," the prime minister told reporters after an all-party meet called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar  to ensure parliament's smooth running.

Meanwhile, responding to the opposition's contention that the session, scheduled to last till Aug 30, would, in practice, have just 12 working days available against the estimated 16 to take up the 44 listed bills, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath hinted it could be extended, if needed.

After an all-party meeting on Thursday, Kamal Nath said all parties wanted the smooth running of parliament but expressed their concerns, especially related to erosion of parliament's supremacy as a result of a Supreme Court order on criminals in politics.

Leaders belonging to the Left parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have expressed concern over the implications of a court order disqualifying a legislator if convicted in a criminal case and barring those arrested from contesting the polls.

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