Presides over an all-party meet, urges all members to deliver on the people's expectation from both Houses
Preempting the last Parliament Session of its tenure to be a stormy one, the BJP-led government on Thursday called for an all-party meet of members of both Houses, asking for their cooperation in running the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the meeting.
Speaking to members of various parties as part of the all-party meet, PM Modi urged the all the parties to "deliver the expectations" of the people. "The government's focus lies on issues of national importance and finding solutions to the problems of the people. The country expects all of us to perform our duties as Parliamentarians in a positive manner, and we must deliver to the expectations of the people," PM Modi said during the meeting.
The Parliament session, which started on Thursday, began with President Ram Nath Kovind's joint address to both Houses of Parliament. The legislative business will begin from February 1 with the presentation of the Interim Budget.
The session will have a total of ten sittings spread over 14 days, and February 8 being a Friday is reserved for private member business. On February 1, Budget will be presented, effectively making it a seven-day session loaded with detailed agenda. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Goel said that only three days would be set aside for legislative business. The session commenced on January 31 and is set to end on February 13.
The government has a detailed agenda in place for the session. On one hand the government is keen on passing three ordinances including Triple Talaq, Medical Council and Companies (Amendment) ordinances, as well as the Citizenship Amendment Bill. On the other, the Opposition as well as some of the NDA allies are gearing up for a stiff resistance, especially on the Citizenship Bill. The Congress has already issued a three-line whip to its members for the entire session. In all 46 Bills are listed for business this session.
The all-party meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs ministers Vijay Goel, and Arjun Ram Meghwal among others.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC's Derek O'Brien, RJD's Misa Bharti and JP Yadav, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP's Supriya Sule and CPI's D Raja were in attendance. Azad told the government that only consensus bills should be taken up for passage. He was referring to the Citizenship Amendment Bill that has led to widespread protests in the Northeast, including from several NDA allies.
"There was a consensus across party lines on ensuring smooth functioning of the Parliament without disruptions and deadlocks to be resolved through constructive discussions in both Houses," an official statement from the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry said.
Up for discussion
- The government is keen on passing three ordinances including Triple Talaq, Medical Council and Companies (Amendment) ordinances, and Citizenship Bill.
- The Opposition and some NDA allies are gearing up for a stiff resistance, especially on the Citizenship Bill.
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