Monsoon Session Heading For Washout: Uncertainty over key bills as OPPN vows to resist

New Delhi: With only four days remaining in the Monsoon session, the fate of major bills on women’s reservation, delimitation and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) remains uncertain amid the ongoing logjam in Parliament. None of these bills figured in the list of business for the Lok Sabha for Monday.

While a few Opposition parties have shown signs of mellowing their stand on the women’s quota and delimitation bills after the government’s outreach, the Congress and most of its allies have vowed to oppose any move to bring in these legislation and the FCRA Amendment Bill.

The Constitution Amendment Bill that proposes 33 per cent reservation for women in 2029 and a redrawing of Lok Sabha constituencies to expand the House was defeated in April due to failure to secure a two-thirds majority.

“If the Central government thinks they can cook up and introduce the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill within these two or three days, they should keep that wish to themselves,” AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said on Sunday. He alleged that the proposed legislation targeted minorities and NGOs and said the Opposition would not allow it to be passed.

“Even if Amit Shah comes to pass this anti-people bill, there is no doubt that he will have to face strong protests in Parliament. This bill is unconstitutional and anti-people. We will not allow such an anti-people and unconstitutional bill to be passed,” Venugopal told reporters in Alappuzha, Kerala.

The FCRA bill seeks to significantly tighten the oversight of foreign-funded organisations, proposing creation of a powerful new authority to seize and manage the assets of non-profits that lose their licence. It has met with strong opposition from Christian organisations apart from political parties.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday recalled how an unprecedented number of 146 MPs were suspended during the 2023 winter session of Parliament and multiple significant laws were passed in the presence of minimal opposition, as he asserted that “history should not repeat itself”.

The monsoon session, which started on July 20, has seen repeated adjournments and virtually no business except the debate on the anti-paper leaks bill — The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 — which was passed by both Houses of Parliament. Three more bills were passed in the two Houses with little or no debate and two other bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, amid unrelenting protests by the Opposition. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi twice in a bid to end the impasse. The minister also had telephonic conversations with Gandhi. Sources said when Rijiju sought Congress support in the passage of the women reservation and delimitation bills, the Leader of Opposition insisted on convening an all-party meeting on the proposed legislations.

Both the leaders also sparred on social media on Saturday over the women’s quota and delimitation bills. The government floor managers are trying to gauge the views of other Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and DMK leadership on the women reservation and delimitation bills. However, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday told a TV news channel that his party has neither supported the delimitation bill in the past nor will it support it in the future.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which left the ruling NDA six years ago over the now-repealed three agriculture laws, on Saturday extended its support to the women reservation bill and the delimitation bills for a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats for states. NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Saturday said it would be premature to comment on the delimitation bill. “When it comes, we will discuss every Bill with our alliance partners,” she said. She, however, opposed the FCRA bill in its present form, saying one cannot always view foreign funding with suspicion, and urged the Centre to either withdraw it or refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

The NDA’s strength in the Lok Sabha now stands at 299 following the merger of seven Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Among the 20 NCPI MPs, three Muslim lawmakers remained non-committal about their allegiance towards the NDA. But the government is still well short of the 360 votes required to pass a constitutional amendment based on the current effective strength of the House.

Four bills have been included in the Lok Sabha agenda for Monday. They are – The Tribunal Reforms Bill, 2026, the Minerals and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 and The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026.