As many as 31 Bills, including two related to finance, six on Ordinances are likely to be taken up by the Centre during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that will commence from Monday while the Opposition has demanded discussions on a host of issues including the Covid situation and threat of a third wave, farmers’ protest, alleged threat to cooperative federalism, relations with Afghanistan and China.

Of these, the government has proposed to bring 29 Bills, including the six on Ordinances that were passed after the Budget Session, and two legislations related to finance during this session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi informed during an all-party meeting held on Sunday.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who chaired the all-party meeting in Parliament premises, sought the cooperation of all parties in the smooth conduct of Business and passage of these legislations, said Joshi.

Quoting the Prime Minister as saying, Joshi informed that he stressed for healthy and meaningful discussion in the 19-day Business of the Monsoon Session beginning.

Emphasizing that the Parliamentarians should try to make it a peaceful session, the Prime Minister said that all issues should be discussed democratically and that all parties cooperate in running the House.

“The Prime Minister also assured that the government is ready to discuss on each issue under process,” Joshi added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva among others attended the all-party meeting.

The Monsoon Session is set to be stormy with the opposition ready with a strategy to corner the government over several issues that include rising petrol and diesel prices and the infrastructure lapses during the second wave of Covid.

The Opposition is likely to raise objections to the formation of the ministry of cooperation on the grounds that cooperatives is a state subject, and this move is an infringement of the rights of states. The Congress and NCP have raised this issue and the matter is likely to be raised in the House.

This session will see the newly inducted ministers in action. Prime Minister Modi has directed them to spend more time in the House to learn.

Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha will function from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday and there are 19 sittings scheduled for this session. The session will end on August 13.

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, the session will be held in both the Houses of Parliament with all the necessary protocols and arrangements being made to accommodate the MPs on a social distancing basis.

Parliament Sessions have been affected ever since the pandemic hit the country last year forcing early closure of last year’s Budget and Monsoon Sessions and this year’s Budget Session. The 2020 Winter Session was skipped completely due to the public health crisis.

(With inputs from IANS)