NEW DELHI: The government is hopeful that the presiding officers of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will change norms on the basis of recommendations from the rules panels of the two Houses to ensure that the remaining sittings of Parliament go smoothly.
With only 10 days of the winter session of Parliament left for the government to push key legislation, the BJP has issued a whip to party MPs in the Lok Sabha to be present on Thursday, when the lower House will take up for discussion and passage the legislative proposal that contains punitive measures against the practice of triple talaq.
“The government would like the presiding officers to take a look at rules to ensure that the two Houses function smoothly. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has already held the meeting of the Rules Committee of the House. The V K Agnihotri committee constituted by Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu is also likely to submit reports soon. The government wants the two Houses to function and take up discussions on important issues,” said Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Vijay Goel.
The NDA floor managers in both the Houses of Parliament are learnt to have reached out to Opposition leaders to enlist their cooperation for smooth functioning of the remaining days of the winter session of Parliament. “We have held meetings with former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad. They have expressed support for the smooth functioning of the Rajya Sabha,” said a minister in the government.
While the Lok Sabha will take up discussion on the triple talaq Bill on Thursday, for which the leader of the Congress in the House, Mallikarjun Kharge, has assured cooperation, the Rajya Sabha is likely to take up the motor vehicle amendment Bill. Proceedings of the two Houses have been marred by ruckus created by the Opposition, including the Congress, demanding constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Rafale deal. The government says it is ready for discussions on the Rafale deal in the two Houses.