The Winter Session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die (indefinitely)on Friday, six days ahead of schedule, with the Opposition parties forcing repeated adjournments in the final days over their demand for a discussion on the border issue with China at Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The Winter Session commenced on December 7 and was scheduled to conclude on December 29, but it was cut short. This is the eight straight session to conclude before the schedule date.
Lok Speaker Om Birla, however, said that there was consensus among floor leaders of all parties to cut short the Winter Session of Parliament because of the upcoming festive season and New Year celebration.
“In the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of Lok Sabha, there was consensus among floor leaders of all political parties to cut short the session,” Birla told reporters here. His remarks assume significance against the backdrop of Opposition leaders alleging that the government has been consistently curtailing Parliament sessions
In his valedictory address to the Lower House, Mr. Birla said the productivity of the House was 97% during the 13 sittings and seven bills were passed including the supplementary demands for grants and the Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill.
On Wednesday, after two days of an extensive debate on the growing menace of drug and narcotics substances during which Home Minister Amit Shah spelt out the government’s efforts, the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution for the members to collectively work on creating awareness among the youth against substance abuse.
After the session, Mr. Birla hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders for a customary meeting over tea at his chamber.
