'Expect Winter Session to function smoothly': Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla
The Winter Session will commence on November 29.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Saturday that he expects Parliament to function smoothly during the upcoming Winter Session, set to begin from November 29, after the previous sitting of the House was washed away amid repeated disruptions by opposition parties over several issues including the farm laws.
“The discussion will take place on all issues and the good work done by representatives in their constituencies will also be discussed,” Birla was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Earlier this week, Birla raised the issue of disruptions during parliamentary proceedings ahead of the Winter Session and said that a national-level discussion should be held with political parties to inculcate self-discipline among legislators.
“We have to stop the increasing tendency of indiscipline, disruption and uproar in the legislatures. For this, we will hold discussions with the leaders of all political parties so that the proceedings of the House are carried out smoothly,” Birla said on Thursday while addressing the All India Presiding Officers' Conference, where a resolution was also passed under his chairmanship stating there should be no disruption during the presidential address and the motion of thanks.
“We have to establish good traditions and conventions inside the legislatures, which will give dignity to our Houses and increase their prestige,” he further added. He also called for strengthening parliamentary committees to ensure ‘accountability of the executive’ and use their suggestions to make government policies more effective.
Earlier, similar concerns were echoed by Union minister Anurag Thakur who said that discussions should be held in Parliament following decorum. “Papers can be torn up on the streets, but Parliament is meant for debate. We have to improve the quality of the debate,” Thakur said.
The Winter Session, which will be the seventh session of the seventeenth Lok Sabha, will commence on November 29 and may conclude on December 23, according to a House notification. During the Monsoon Session, the opposition protests brought in several adjourned sessions as parties questioned the government over the alleged use of the Pegasus spyware on its leaders and others in the country and also the repeal of farm laws, a demand which the government has now accepted.
The opposition, however, may still raise these issues along with issues related to Ladakh faceoff with China, the Rafale fighter jet deal and the ordinances providing for the extension of the terms of Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation chiefs.
A report by HT showed that the Monsoon Session saw the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha function for 22% and 28% of their allocated time — lowest since the 2016 Winter Session.