Monsoon Session of Parliament to begin on July 21
What's the story
The monsoon session of the Parliament will start on July 21 and end on August 12, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Wednesday.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will meet at 11:00am on July 21, after a gap of over three months.
The dates were recommended by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Political climate
Demand for special session
The announcement of the monsoon session comes amid demands from opposition parties for a special session.
They want to discuss Operation Sindoor, a military operation targeting terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The opposition has accused the government of "Parliamentophobia," fearing to face Parliament on major issues.
TMC leader Derek O'Brien criticized this stance, saying it shows the government's reluctance to address important matters in Parliament.
However, the government has ruled out holding a special session on Operation Sindoor.
Upcoming discussions
Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor likely to dominate discussions
The monsoon session will be the first since the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir.
It is likely that both the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor will dominate discussions during this session.
An impeachment motion against former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma is also likely to be introduced in Parliament during this time.
Justice Varma is in the center of a scandal after a substantial amount of unaccounted cash was recovered from his residence following a fire.
Varma
Justice Varma refuses to step down
An inquiry committee confirmed the recovery of cash from the official residence of Justice Varma, who was then serving as a Delhi High Court judge.
Based on the committee's report, which was submitted to then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Varma was asked to either resign or face impeachment proceedings.
He has refused to step down.