On the Sidelines:
* The last four days of Parliament's monsoon session (Monday to Thursday) are likely to be no different from earlier, with little business transacted. The Congress is keen to deny the Narendra Modi government any big achievements, such as the pending Bills on land acquisition and a Goods and Services Tax, to tout in its second Independence Day speech.
* Led by the Congress, the Opposition has dug in its heels and persisted in its demand for the resignations of Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and the ruling party's chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. They boycotted the Lok Sabha all of previous week over suspension of 25 Congress members, who would now be returning to the House but the strategy of disruption will continue.
* The Rajya Sabha, where the Congress enjoys numerical strength, has seen no action since the first day of the session and is unlikely to see any in the remaining days.
* Sources in the government say they are reconciled to a washout of the session and might call one later to get its legislative agenda cleared. Battle lines were drawn a shade darker on Sunday as the prime minister attacked the Janata Dal and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in poll-bound Bihar. These two parties, along with the Congress and the Left, are unlikely to yield an inch to the ruling party in both Houses.
