NEW DELHI: A special debate on the Constitution will begin in Lok Sabha on Friday at noon. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh will initiate the debate, according to media reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to participate in the debate on December 14.
After an agreement with the opposition, the BJP-led NDA government has agreed to hold debates on the Constitution on December 13-14 and December 16-17 in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively.
PM Modi would reply to the debate in Lok Sabha, and home minister Amit Shah is likely to initiate the debate in Rajya Sabha on December 16. But the general belief is that the bitterness may result in the Constitution being reduced to a cover the rivals will use to corner each other with their political agenda.
With the two Houses having witnessed continuous disruption in the ongoing session in the wake of the government’s refusal to take up the Adani indictment, the debate on the Constitution presents the opposition with a readymade stage to corner the government.
Issues such as caste census, removal of 50 per cent cap on reservations, BJP’s “controlling” of constitutional bodies, Manipur crisis, Places of Worship Act and incidents like Sambhal, communalism and bias against opposition-governed states are other subjects likely to dominate the speeches of Congress and the opposition.
BJP is set to raise the issues of suspension of democracy by the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi as well as efforts of non-BJP governments to roll out quotas for Muslims. It may retaliate against Congress’s attack by creating openings to push its allegation that billionaire George Soros and Congress, including its representatives Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, had combined with “anti-India” forces.
BJP has alleged Sonia had links to the Forum of Democratic Leaders-Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation, an organisation financed by George Soros Foundation, which has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation.
Sources in Congress told TOI that the party’s charge will be led by Rahul. It will also check with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for second speaker, while it has the likes of Gaurav Gogoi, Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari among others.
SP’s Akhilesh Yadav is another major face in opposition camp who would use the national platform to send out a signal to the electorate in UP. Modi’s reply to the debate will be designed to answer the opposition’s political offensive and he is adept at cashing in on the privilege of having the last word.