The monsoon session of Parliament beginning Monday is expected to be a stormy affair with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance bracing itself to attack the government and not boycott it like it did in the previous sessions.
A host of issues including the nuclear deal with United States, the Ayodhya terror attack and the prime minister's statement on the Iran-India pipeline top the oppostion list.
What could add to the worry of the Congress-led coalition is the fact that the Left parties, supporting it from outside, have taken a dim view of the deal with Washington as also of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's stand on the gas
pipeline issue.
The government, on the other hand, wants to ensure a smooth session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has time and again sought to woo the opposition by expressing readiness of the government to discuss any issue, including the 'tainted' ministers issue, on the floor of the House.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has held a series of meetings with leaders of all parties in Parliament, including the opposition BJP, which has assured him that it would not boycott the session.
The session, with 23 sittings, is slated to consider a number of important bills, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. However, the Pension Bill, being opposed by the Left, is not on the agenda.
There is no clarity on whether the Women's Reservation Bill will be brought forward in the session.
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