BackWinter session of Parliament to be held from 15 December to 5 January
The winter session of Parliament will span 21 days and have 14 sittings of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, government says
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Ending days of speculation, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on Friday recommended that the winter session of Parliament be held from 15 December to 5 January, with 14 sittings of both Houses during the 21-day session.
The cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs, which decided the dates at a meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh, urged opposition parties to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament during the winter session.
“We request and seek cooperation from all parties, including the opposition, for smooth functioning of both Houses to make this session fruitful. This will be a 14-day session, 25th and 26th December will be Christmas holidays," parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said after the meeting.
Justifying the government’s decision to call the winter session after the assembly polls, Kumar said this had been done by governments in the past too, including Congress dispensations headed by Indira Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.
The timing of the winter session is interesting as the session begins just a day after polling ends in Gujarat. Opposition parties had alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to delay the winter session to avoid discussions on demonetization and issues regarding the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST).
Last year, the month-long winter session began on 16 November and ended on 16 December, with 22 sittings of both the Houses.
Senior BJP leaders said there was a view in the government that since many members of Parliament (MPs) would be busy campaigning for the elections in Gujarat, the winter session should be held after polling so that debate and discussion may be held on crucial issues.
The two-phase election in Gujarat is scheduled to take place on 9 and 14 December, while counting is scheduled for 18 December, along with the counting of votes for Himachal Pradesh where polling recently concluded.
The session is important for NDA because the Union government is planning to bring a bill to end the practice of instant triple talaq, and another on the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). The latter is expected to be reintroduced to grant constitutional status to NCBC. The government wants to introduce the bill in Lok Sabha after Rajya Sabha proposed certain amendments during the monsoon session earlier this year. The bill is an attempt to grant constitutional status to the NCBC, on par with the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
“There was a strong desire of the people that Parliament should legislate on these issues," Kumar said. The government is also planning to bring bills to replace three ordinances—The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States), 2017, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment), and The Indian Forest Act (Amendment).
Meanwhile, the opposition parties are trying to build a larger coalition against the BJP-led NDA and want to corner the government in both Houses of Parliament. Opposition parties, especially West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, has also reached out to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, asking the NDA partner to join hands with opposition against demonetization, implementation of GST and the ongoing rural distress in the country.
“We will decide on issues to be raised; there are issues like GST, demonetization, prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, terrorism, Hafiz Saeed being set free by a court in Pakistan. We want to raise all important issues," said Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader.
Leaders from the Left front said discussion on key issues were being delayed due to elections.
“There are important issues to be discussed in this session. The economy is in jeopardy. Issues such as demonetization, GST, farmers issues, along with price rise and unemployment scenario, will also be raised. With the Gujarat election around the corner, the government does not want to face such issues in Parliament," said Mohammed Salim, a member of the Lok Sabha from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM.
According to PRS Legislative Research, the previous monsoon session saw 67% productivity in Lok Sabha and 72% in Rajya Sabha.
gyan.v@livemint.com
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