The Narendra Modi government appears determined to re-plug a set of three bills in Parliament, including a constitutional amendment, to facilitate delimitation and implementation of the women's reservation law by 2029.
The move is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to erase the political embarrassment of the constitutional amendment bill’s defeat in the Lok Sabha in April, reassert the dominance of the NDA and highlight the disarray in the Opposition bloc.
The BJP leadership on Tuesday celebrated 12 years of the Modi government and expressed confidence about its political position, buoyed by the rebellion in the Trinamool Congress. The BJP has called a meeting of NDA leaders, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers on Wednesday for a show of unity.
"We are counting the numbers and once we are assured that the NDA has two-thirds majority, the bills will be pushed through in both Houses of Parliament," a government source said. “Once we have the numbers, we will not even wait for the monsoon session. A special session would be convened,” another source said.
In April, the government introduced three interconnected bills — the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill. After the constitutional amendment bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha, the government put the remaining two on hold. While the two bills remain pending, the government is now preparing to reintroduce the defeated constitutional amendment bill.
The split in the Trinamool Congress parliamentary party is likely to push the NDA's strength in the Lok Sabha beyond 300. A determined political management can help the Treasury move closer to the two-thirds majority required to pass constitutional amendments, some BJP leaders believe.
Rebel Trinamool MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has claimed that nearly 20 of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha members — enough to meet the threshold for a split without attracting the anti-defection law — are preparing to form a separate group and support the NDA. If the 20 rebel Trinamool MPs officially back the NDA, the strength of the BJP-led bloc in the Lok Sabha will reach 313.
Although 313 is far short of the two-thirds majority number, which is 360 given the current strength of the Lok Sabha (540), BJP managers are banking on some form of support from the DMK.
Sources in the BJP said they had reopened talks with the DMK to secure the backing of its 22 Lok Sabha members after the party’s defeat in Tamil Nadu and its breakup with the Congress. According to a government functionary, the DMK leadership, including former Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin, had earlier indicated support for the bills but eventually opposed them in the hope of gaining political mileage in the state elections.