A high-level meeting of NDA ministers and key allies was held in New Delhi on Friday to finalise the ruling coalition's strategy for the Monsoon session of Parliament, with discussions focusing on the government's legislative agenda and floor management.
The meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Kartavya Bhavan, was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, and NDA allies including JD(U)'s Lallan Singh, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary and TDP leader Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu.
According to sources, the ministers reviewed government business for the session beginning July 20 and discussed priority legislation, including the conversion of two ordinances into Acts of Parliament.
One of the proposed legislations is the Income-tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which will replace an ordinance promulgated last month exempting foreign investors from paying income tax on interest earnings and capital gains from investments in government securities (G-secs). The ordinance was issued to attract foreign capital and ease pressure on the rupee amid the West Asia crisis.
Sources also said the government may introduce an amended women's reservation Bill along with a delimitation Bill during the session. NDA leaders are understood to be confident of securing the required two-thirds majority with support from several opposition parties, though they do not expect backing from the Congress or the Samajwadi Party.
The Centre is also learnt to be working on multiple proposals to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats across all states by around 50 per cent to address concerns of southern states that a population-based delimitation exercise could reduce their representation in Parliament. The revised formulation is being prepared alongside changes to the constitutional framework for implementing women's reservation.
The previous version of the Bill had failed to clear the Lok Sabha on April 17 after the government fell short of the two-thirds majority required for passage.
Among other legislative proposals, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to extend the same statutory protection to the national song Vande Mataram as is currently available to the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, is expected to be taken up during the session. Sources indicated the Bill may first be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
The Monsoon session is expected to witness sharp exchanges between the government and the Opposition, with opposition parties preparing to raise issues including the NEET paper leak, the deaths of Indian seafarers during the West Asia conflict, ethanol blending in petrol and the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Despite the anticipated confrontations, NDA leaders believe the ruling alliance enters the session from a position of strength following the Opposition's setbacks in the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, as well as continuing differences between the Congress and the DMK over the formation of a government by the TVK in Tamil Nadu.
(With inputs PTI)
