Winter Session of Parliament: Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are expected to function smoothly during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament from December 2 as the Opposition and the government have reached an agreement.
Both houses were suspended for the fifth day in a row on Monday amid protests by opposition members over Adani bribery allegations and other issues.
“We have already met the Speaker and our only demand is that he should take action for the smooth functioning of the House. We are ready to rule the House provided there is a discussion on the Constitution they have promised us,” Congress MP KC Venugopal said.
Sources said the government has agreed to hold a debate on the Constitution in Parliament on December 13 and 14.
Repeated suspensions
The winter session of Parliament started on Monday, November 25. Proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha spiraled out of control in the first week of the winter session of Parliament, which ended on November 29, marred by opposition protests over a host of issues, including the Adani bribery case, Manipur , and the violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Both Houses of Parliament were suspended for the fifth day in a row on Monday, December 2, due to unrest among opposition MPs.
The Adani Group has denied all the allegations, terming them 'baseless'.
Reports also indicated that many MPs from Congress and other opposition parties did not appreciate disruptions in proceedings on the Adani issue.
Congress member and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been at the forefront of the protests over the Adani issue. The Raebareli MP has sought Adani's arrest over recent charges.
Last month, Gautam Adani, one of the world's richest men, and seven others were charged by U.S. prosecutors with fraud for their alleged role in a $265 million scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure energy supply deals. The Adani Group has denied all the allegations, calling them “baseless”.
We are prepared to govern the House, provided there is a discussion on the Constitution, as they promised us.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government has listed 16 bills for the session, which ends on December 20. Five of these bills have been listed for introduction, consideration and approval, while 10 are under consideration and approval, according to the Lok Sabha bulletin.
