A day before the Winter Session of Parliament begins, the Opposition parties put up a united front at an all-party meeting on Sunday, demanding discussions in the House on many issues, the key among Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral polls underway in 12 states and Union Territories and the recent blast in Delhi in the context of national security. This all-party meeting was held hours before the Business Advisory Committees (BAC) of the two Houses convene to finalise the legislative business of the session.
The all-party meeting convened by the government and chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also saw the Opposition demand discussions in Parliament on air pollution and developments related to the government’s foreign policy. The government has already signalled that a discussion on SIR per se would not be possible, as it was an administrative exercise being carried out by the Election Commission, an autonomous body, and the government cannot answer on its behalf.
But sources in the Opposition said the parties were united in demanding a discussion on the SIR. The EC on Sunday extended the deadline for electors to submit enumeration forms in the ongoing SIR from December 4 to December 11. Sources said the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which is not part of the Opposition bloc, has also demanded a discussion on electoral transparency.
The government side was represented by Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Also present was the Leader of the Rajya Sabha and Health Minister J P Nadda. In total, 50 leaders from 36 political parties attended the meeting. Sources in the Opposition said the government did not commit to a discussion on SIR. “They listened patiently but did not say anything,” said a senior Opposition leader.
Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said his party wanted a discussion on the Delhi blast as it was “a testimony to the failures of our home affairs departments”. He said the Opposition also wanted a discussion on the “security of democracy”. “There should be a discussion on the security of voter lists and election security. Our third demand was the security of our health, given the way air pollution is increasing in every corner of the country. The fourth issue was our economic security. The fifth issue we raised was natural security. The way floods, landslides, and hurricanes are occurring, there is no preparation,” he said.
Sources said the Opposition parties would meet Monday morning to fine-tune their floor strategy. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, has convened a meeting of Opposition floor leaders, but it is to be seen whether parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is not part of the INDIA bloc, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) attend the meeting.
“The Opposition parties were unanimous that the issue of SIR should be discussed, also national security, rural distress and federal issues, including how Governors sit on Bills passed by state legislatures. A whole range of issues was raised by the Opposition and other parties,” said CPI(M) leader John Brittas.
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Brittas told the meeting that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju recently said — at an Idea Exchange session with The Indian Express — the government cannot discuss SIR per se but was willing to broadly discuss the issue of electoral reforms “We welcome that, let them widen the topic and bring reforms in the electoral process. We are ready for that,” he said.
13 Bills on govt agenda
The government has listed 13 Bills to be taken up for consideration, discussion and passage in the session, which is scheduled to end on December 19 after 15 sittings.
These Bills are:
1. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025
2. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025
3. The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 (to replace an Ordinance)
4. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025
S. The National Highways (Amendment) Bill, 2025
6. The Atomic Energy Bill, 2025
7. The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025
8. The Securities Markets Code Bill (SMC), 2025
9. The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025
10. The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2025
11. The Higher Education Commission of India Bill, 2025
12. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025
13. The Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025
“The all-party meeting called by the Modi government to discuss the agenda for the Winter Session of Parliament starting tomorrow is a mere formality,” said Congress communications chief and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh. “This session of 15 days will be the shortest in Parliamentary history. The Modi Government has listed 13 Bills for passage. Of these, one replaces an ordinance and two have gone through a committee of the Lok Sabha. So 10 Bills have not been examined by the Standing Committee concerned.”
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He added, “Of course, it is possible that a Bill not listed at present will suddenly get introduced towards the later part of the short session. The Modi Government has made its intentions clear by listing a subject for a short duration discussion WITHOUT any consultation with the Opposition.”
Rijiju said the meeting was cordial and positive. “We have taken note of the suggestions given by leaders of various political parties. We will think about it. I want to assure everyone on behalf of the government that we will continue talking with the Opposition to ensure that the Winter Session of Parliament runs smoothly. Also, I want to urge the Opposition leaders to extend cooperation to run Parliament smoothly. In a parliamentary democracy, there will be impasses. There will be differences among political parties because everyone wants to take forward their ideologies and agenda, but if we all decide not to disrupt the House, raise issues on which they have objection to in an orderly manner in the House, talk out the differences then productivity will rise, democracy will be strengthened and the respect for Parliament among the people will remain,” Rijiju said.