Govt in for a hamla

As sought by Modi, the political 'muqabla' begins from today as the country witnesses the Monsoon session for three weeks. Just a year ago, Modi's BJP came to power on its own riding on the crest of a negative vote to a large extent. The scam-ridden UPA-II was too much of a monster to remain in power even for a minute.

Modi's prowesses looked like the narratives of a fairy tale at least to the urban voter. Skilled party managers wove a rich tapestry of his magic, charms, disguise and spell into a convincing story. Vote for him once and live happily ever after, was the overall message.

In took just a year, for the mood reversal. The sheath of invincibility has fallen off and the guard looks lowered for the ruling party. Scams of a different kind have come back to haunt the government. This monsoon session could be a wash-out not just due to ‘Vyapam’ or the Lalit Modi fiasco and the much-touted Land Bill which the Modi government is firm to push through, but due to the Opposition's fear of being bull-dozed.

The role reversal is glaring. The BJP had steadfastly rejected the Treasury Bench's appeals while in the opposition in seeking and securing its pound of flesh over every issue. The Congress and the somewhat scattered Opposition now are in no less uncompromising mood. Rahul Gandhi has already warned of a 'no-business’ session.

Modi's love for Manmohanomics and insistence on his Ordinance Raj is all set to clash with the Congress' renewed interest in Nehruvian policies and its latest passion - farmers. The Caste census has already become an issue in the Assembly elections in Bihar and is bound to impact the Parliamentary proceedings further.

The Congress has already laid the removal of Sushma, Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje as a pre-condition for the functioning of the House. "Smooth functioning of the House is in the hands of the BJP, not in the hands of the Opposition," it has reiterated.

The failure of the government in reining in the petrol and diesel prices despite the tumbling international market's crude prices is also set to draw the ire of the opposition as the common man is not getting his due.

Modi's high voltage foreign trips and the subsequent claims thereof are just the fodder that the Opposition loves to live on. In addition, the by now evaporated diplomatic success of the latest Modi-Sharif talks in the wake of the subsequent ceasefire violations is bound to cast a long shadow on the effective functioning of the House.

Then there are some State-specific issues, too, that would engage the attention of Parliament including the Section 8 clause of the AP Reorganisation Act and the neglect of Telangana projects by the Centre. This session is not going to witness just a ‘muqabla’ as explained by Modi, but a "hamla" by the Opposition, however divided it may be. After all, it has the ammunition to last not just a battle, but an entire war.