The Parliament's Monsoon Session begins with controversy as Opposition parties protest the Centre's recognition of the NCPI, a new party of 20 rebel TMC MPs. The NDA's strength in the Lok Sabha inches closer to the two-thirds majority mark.
Stormy Start to Monsoon Session Amid Political Realignments
New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): The Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning on Monday is set to witness the Centre and the Opposition locking horns on several issues. The session, scheduled to stretch till August 13, will also mark the parliamentary debut of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), formed by 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who merged their faction and aligned with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the media at Hans Dwar, Parliament House, ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon Session on Monday. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today chaired a Business Advisory Committee meeting of the lower house of Parliament. Representatives of all political parties discussed the legislative agenda and key public issues. The Speaker called for constructive debates, meaningful participation, and full cooperation to ensure a productive and dignified Session.
Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired an all-party meeting in the Parliament House Complex, New Delhi to discuss issues relating to the ensuing Monsoon Session of Parliament. In total, the meeting was attended by 58 Leaders from 40 political parties, including Ministers. Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated that Legislative Business for the ensuing Monsoon Session has already been published in Bulletin Part-II by both the Secretariats of Parliament on July 16. The Session will provide a total of 19 sittings spread over a period of 25 days.
Opposition Stages Symbolic Walkout Over NCPI's Inclusion
Opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the all-party meeting convened by the Centre, protesting Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's invitation to the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) to participate in the meeting. They later returned to take part in the discussions after a few minutes. This came as the Lok Sabha Speaker has allowed separate seating for the 20 rebel TMC MPs who announced a merger with the NCPI.
Kiren Rijiju said that the walkout staged by the opposition leaders should not be seen as a boycott, as it was symbolic in nature. "It should not be viewed as a boycott of the entire day's proceedings; it was symbolic," he told reporters after the meeting.
Congress and the opposition parties objected to the participation of the NCPI, claiming it was a "parking place" for the 20 "rebel" Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs whose status is yet to be decided by the Lok Sabha Speaker. "All Opposition parties staged a walkout from the All-Party meeting for a few minutes. This was a mark of protest against the decision of the Modi Govt to invite the NCPI that is a parking place for 20 so-called 'rebel' TMC MPs, when a final decision is still pending with the Speaker," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
TMC leader Mahua Moitra said that opposition parties registered their strong protest over the government's decision. "Today, the entire opposition including Congress, the Samajwadi Party, DMK, JMM, Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, Left parties, Shiv Sena UBT have all walked out of the all party meeting in protest because the so-called NCPI, which is an unrecognized party, the strength of the All India Trinamool Congress in the list provided by the table office is shown to be 28 members. These so-called rebel 20 MPs, their merger has not been approved by the Speaker," Moitra said.
Meawhile, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said the party staged a walkout to uphold the Constitution. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also backed the protest, questioning the recognition accorded to the rebel MPs from their party.
NCPI Leader Defends Party's Secular Stance
Rebel TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay attended the all-party meeting as the leader of the NCPI asserted that the "House belongs to the Opposition" while calling on the government to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament. He maintained that the NCPI is a secular party. "Let the House run and equally, we are the firm believers of the principle of secularism, communal harmony and unity of the country. We are not ditching from this line. We are completely secular by nature. We are committed to our party's principles: secularism, communal harmony, and national unity. These are the firm policies enshrined in the NCPI's constitution. We believe this is significant because, among the 20 MPs who formed the NCPI, three are Muslim," Bandyopadhyay told ANI.
Key Legislative Business on the Agenda
Supreme Court Judges Bill
According to the List of Business in the Lok Sabha, the Centre is set to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which will replace the ordinance increasing the maximum strength of judges in the apex court from 33 to 37. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, will table the Bill in the Lower House of Parliament.
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill
In the upcoming session, the Centre is expected to table the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha. The FCRA Amendment Bill provides for the cessation of the FCRA certificate of an organisation upon expiry, non-renewal or refusal of renewal by the government. The amendments also establish a designated authority for "a comprehensive framework for vesting, supervision, management and disposal of foreign contribution and assets, including provisional and permanent vesting." The Bill has become a major issue of contention ahead of the Keralam Assembly elections, as the state houses a major Christian population and several NGOs and organisations drawing funds under the FCRA.
Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill
Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, formerly the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, aims to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The Bill also brings Institutes of National Importance (INIs) under the regulatory framework for the first time, whereas until now they functioned largely outside such oversight. The proposed legislation faced criticism due to its Section 15(3)(g), which provides that the proposed higher education commission "shall be bound" by policy directions issued by the Central government and that in the event of any disagreement, "the Government's decision shall be final". However, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the provision does not represent a shift in the existing legal framework.
Shifting Political Alignments and Lok Sabha Numbers
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju today also addressed the matters involving the numerical strength of parties, stating that it was taken up for discussion. He asserted that they cannot "deprive" any member of their rights. "We discuss matters based on the numerical strength of political parties, but we certainly cannot deprive anyone of their rights," Rijiju said. The discussion around numbers in the Lok Sabha emerges from the fact that the NDA, with six MPs added to the Shiv Sena and support from the NCPI got an inch closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the Lower House.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This took the Shiv Sena's strength to 13, reducing UBT Sena to three members in the Lok Sabha. Additionally, the Speaker also approved separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who broke away from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and announced a merger with the regional party, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). However, the merger of rebel TMC MPs has not yet been approved by the Speaker. Last month, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar led a total of 20 MPs and announced a merger with a regional NCPI.
Shiv Sena (UBT) has also witnessed a split, with six Lok Sabha MPs joining the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, currently holds 298 seats in the Lok Sabha, including the Speaker. In case the Speaker approves the merger between the TMC rebels and the NCPI, the NDA's strength will stand at 318. The NDA is likely to move closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the House of 540 members, with three seats currently vacant.
The discussion on the numbers in the House come in the backdrop of speculations of the Centre attempting to bring back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850 and the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures. The Bill was defeated after gaining 298 votes in April. Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC and several other opposition parties have staunchly opposed the Delimitation Bill. However, DMK, which quit the INDIA bloc after Congress' exit from the Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu, has maintained a wait-and-watch approach. The DMK had earlier led an aggressive campaign against the Delimitation, alleging that the exercise will hamper the strength of southern states in the Lower House. DMK leader TKS Elangovan said that political parties have various suggestions and seats of southern states in the Lok Sabha should not be affected.
Opposition to Raise NEET, Ayodhya Issues
Meanwhile, the Opposition during this Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to raise several issues, including the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation embezzlement case and the NEET-UG paper leak. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh has already moved a Suspension of Business notice in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 to discuss the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
