​Freeze and thaw: On the winder session of Parliament

The winter session of Parliament, that began on December 1, will have 15 sittings over a period of 19 days, and will conclude on December 19. The government maintains that it is willing to discuss any issue, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned that Parliament should not be used for theatrics. The Opposition has pointed out that this is one of the shortest ever winter sessions, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has said that the government excludes him from the country’s diplomatic engagements with foreign dignitaries, which is a deviation from the convention. Though there is no notable improvement in the hostile relationship between the government and the Opposition, the Vice-President of India, C.P. Radhakrishnan, is expected to ease some tension, in his role as Rajya Sabha Chairman. The government has lined up an ambitious legislative agenda, which has considerable political ramifications, with a number of 14 Bills in total. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, is one major piece of legislation that, as its Hindi title suggests, seeks to simplify the criminal justice system. The Higher Education Commission of India Bill, 2025, seeks to change the structure of higher education regulators such as the UGC. The Centre’s unilateralism in the sector remains a bone of contention with States, and those issues are likely to be raised by the Opposition. The National Highways (Amendment) Bill, the Atomic Energy Bill, and the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill are some of the items on the legislative agenda. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has introduced the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill in the session, which repackages an ongoing cess on tobacco products.

Both Houses are also scheduled to discuss a motion on electoral reforms, in the background of the SIR of electoral rolls and debate the national song Vande Mataram to mark the 150th year of its composition. The SIR debate is expected to see the divergent views of the BJP and the Opposition with regard to electoral reforms. For the ruling party, enforcing a countrywide synchronised election schedule is a priority, while the Opposition is agitated over suspected malpractices in the preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of the polls. The Opposition has also sought debates on the national security situation after the Delhi blasts, farmers’ problems in the background of concluded and ongoing trade negotiations, price rise, air pollution and use of federal agencies against political opponents. Both sides should use the session as an opportunity to reduce disagreements and clarify issues of governance.