The monsoon session of Parliament beginning from today is likely to be stormy with many contentious Bills to be debated and introduced.

The Indo-Pak talks fiasco would also be used by the Opposition to corner the Government.

The first and foremost is the Nuclear Civil Liability Bill, which the Left and the main Opposition BJP have already said would be opposed in its present form.

The major concerns are about the Clause 6, which sets the maximum financial liability in case of a nuclear accident at the equivalent of 300 million special drawing rights (SDRs), which is equal to Rs 2087 crore (458 million dollars).

It is given in Clause 7 that the operator would have to pay the first Rs 500 crore (109 million dollars) of this, with any remaining needs met by the Indian government.

The BJP and Communist parties oppose the provisions of the Clause 6, saying the proposed operator’s cap on liability was too low.

There is a feeling in the Opposition that the liability legislation was being brought in especially for US companies wanting to do business in India.

Besides, there are many other Bills, which are likely to witness heated debate in Parliament during the session. These include the Seeds Bill, the Prevention of Torture Bill, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Bill, the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment Bill) and the Dam Safety Bill.

The controversial Women’s Reservation Bill, which has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha, might not be introduced in the Lok Sabha but political observers feel that the ruling Congress could use the issue to break the Opposition unity.

The Bill as passed by the Rajya Sabha was being staunchly opposed by the SP, RJD and the LJP.

Some of the important Bills that are slated to be introduced in this session include the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, the Prasar Bharati Amendment Bill, the Cinematograph Bill, the Press and Registration of Books and Publications Bill, the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill etc and Direct Tax Code Bill.

UNI