The elephant in both Houses in the new Parliament building during the Monsoon Session will be Donald Trump. The Opposition has been clamouring that the government provide clarity on his 60-odd pronouncements on the military operations against Pakistan codenamed Operation Sindoor and the subsequent truce that was called, as he claims, at his behest.
The government has consistently denied any US role in the ceasefire being called after four days of intense hostility in early May in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that took place on April 22. Mr Trump’s latest revelation of five jets, presumably of both sides or only of India or of Pakistan, having been shot down has added further intrigue to the puzzle over war losses.
While Pakistan taking a battering on its air bases is evident in ‘Notams’ still being issued for certain airports, India has not explicitly said how many jets it may have lost in unprecedented dog fights said to have taken place on the first day of India’s military operations. While war losses are customary, it is only right that the government take the Parliament of people’s representatives into confidence and share the pluses and minuses of Op. Sindoor.
It is virtually by rote that the government states at pre-session all-party meetings its willingness to discuss all issues raised by the Opposition. But the common experience is that Parliament sessions break down over procedural wrangling and/or the Opposition’s unwillingness to accept the modalities of discussion as laid out by the Speaker and presiding officer of the two Houses. Parliament sessions have often been punctuated by disagreements over procedures, sometimes leading to Opposition boycotts of almost whole sessions. It is generally resolved to have an open and meaningful session after the government seeks and is promised the cooperation and coordination of the Opposition for the smooth running of Parliament. But this tends to become meaningless in the cut and thrust of politics when polarisation takes over, leading to walkouts, boycotts and demonstrations outside Parliament.
As the world is in a crucial phase of an unfolding sequence of contemporary events amid churning of global trade, the waging of wars and military operations, including by India and Pakistan, it is only fair that the government comes forth willingly to share what has happened since the Pahalgam terror event. There have been misgivings over several other issues, besides the Pahalgam attackers not having been brought to justice and Mr Trump’s repeated claims, said to number 24, of brokering truce to tom-tom his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize including his common boast that trade with the United States was the stick and carrot he used to make the subcontinental nations to see sense.
The Election Commission’s proactive updating of poll rolls in its SIR initiative that, many fear, would lead to selective erosion of people’s right to vote is certain to come up, too, and it is up to the government to explain why this exercise is being held now close to the polls in Bihar. Incidents of lawlessness and harassment and rape of women are by no means restricted to states ruled by any of the two major alliances. But the Opposition must be allowed to bring up topics that are of national concern for debates in Parliament.