NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee of Parliamentary Affairs, which met here on Wednesday to decide on the dates for Winter session, deferred the decision. Sources pointed out that session could be summoned any day after November 19.
“The winter session of Parliament is likely to be convened any day after November 19, but a final decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee of Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) on October 26,” a government functionary said after a CCPA meeting on Wednesday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the CCPA meeting, where it was decided that other parties and presiding officers of the two houses also be consulted for the likely date.
With the government planning to observe November 19 as the Constitution Day, the committee also discussed holding a day-long debate on the making of the Constitution. The committee also took stock of 53 Bills pending in the Rajya Sabha where the government lacks the majority. While eight Bills have been passed by the Lok Sabha, five others are pending with various parliamentary committees. The crucial GST Bill is also pending in Parliament which the government hopes to pass in the session.
After the washed-out Monsoon session, the government is pinning great hope on the Winter session for getting some of the key legislation like the GST Bill passed. The government will have the last opportunity to get the Bill passed for its likely roll out in April 2016. However, much will again depend on the outcome of the Bihar elections. A good show for the BJP-led alliance in Bihar will make it much easier for the government to conduct the house. If the Opposition wins the election in the state, they were likely to again pin down the government in the house, this time on the issue of intolerance in the country.
During the last Monsoon session, the Congress had not allowed Parliament to function demanding the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for allegedly helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi get UK travel documents.