Parliament will meet in what is likely to be a stormy winter session from November 26 to December 23.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh decided the dates at a meeting on Monday.
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However, it said that the Opposition should not see the Bihar verdict as a “mandate to disrupt Parliament”, an advice that suggests the treasury benches expect a stormy session.
“CCPA met today and decided to call winter session from November 26, which will continue till December 23 depending on the exigencies of business,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after the meeting. “All concerned need to understand the Bihar verdict in the right perspective. People of Bihar want development just like people in the other States. To realise rapid economic growth, we need to have the right environment in place, which requires considered reforms… All parties have to understand it and enable Parliament to pass the reform measures. Bihar verdict is a clear statement of people’s aspirations. It should not be interpreted as a mandate to obstruct Parliament.”
The government will reach out to the Opposition for the passage of key pending Bills like the crucial Goods and Services Tax Bill (GST). The Bill is a constitutional amendment Bill that requires a special majority of both Houses and cannot be passed in a joint sitting. The NDA government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha.
The government also made a symbolic Dalit outreach by deciding to have a special two-day sitting to honour BR Ambedkar, who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.
It has called a special two-day sitting on the first two days of the session to commemorate the adoption of the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949, and honour Dr. Ambedkar.
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