Monsoon Session of Parliament: Key bills listed; Ayodhya donation theft, NEET-UG paper leak, ethanol blending to be raised

The Monsoon Session of Parliament, scheduled from July 20 to August 13, will open on Monday with a focus on key Bills, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday. The government has planned to prioritise the passage of these Bills despite anticipating disruptions from the Opposition.

Meanwhile, the Opposition is also set to raise several contentious issues including the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the NEET-UG paper leak, and the controversy over ethanol blending. 

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Major Bills listed for consideration include: 

• Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026
• Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026
• Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• Vikshit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill

The Lok Sabha's Business Advisory Committee has allocated four hours for the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill and three hours for the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill debates. Speaker Om Birla appealed to all parties for cooperation to ensure a smooth and productive session. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make opening remarks and call for orderly functioning of both Houses.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will introduce the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, proposing penalties including imprisonment and fines for insulting the national song. A Bill on delimitation has not yet been listed but may be introduced later.

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The session will also witness political confrontations, including protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has sought an all-party meeting to discuss delimitation and women's reservation. The government aims to pass the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes reserving 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by 2029 through delimitation and increasing the House's strength. BJP-led NDA strategists are working to secure the required two-thirds majority, while the Congress and other Opposition parties plan to oppose the Bill, though some regional parties may support it with safeguards.

Recent shifts in parliamentary numbers have strengthened the NDA, with 20 Trinamool Congress MPs and six Shiv Sena-UBT MPs joining the alliance. The Speaker has approved the merger of six Shiv Sena-UBT MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and allowed separate seating for the rebel Trinamool MPs. Despite these changes, the NDA remains short of a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and faces challenges in the Rajya Sabha.