New Delhi: Coming in the shadow of Assembly polls in Gujarat, the month-long winter session of Parliament beginning on November 18 is likely to be a stormy affair with the Opposition bracing up to put the government on the mat on several issues.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) controversial yatra, the poll campaign in Gujarat, political developments in Uttar Pradesh, lynching of Dalits in Haryana and the drought situation in several parts of the country are issues likely to be raised by the Opposition.

With the crucial Gujarat elections scheduled for December 12, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led coalition is likely to come under attack on VHP's yatra in defiance of the Election Commission's ban and Prime Minister's appeal. The targeting of Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh and Chief Minister Narendra Modi's controversial campaign will also figure.

The main Opposition, Congress, has already made it known that it would raise vigorously the Centre's "insensitive" attitude towards drought-hit states particularly discrimination in the matter against Congress ruled-states.

The disinvestment issue, on which there have been differences within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is also likely to cause much embarrassment to the government with the Congress attempting to highlight the "confusion" within the ruling coalition and the Left Parties gearing up to launch a scathing attack for "selling public sector undertakings (PSU) cheaply".

PTI