Lessons from first session: Be ready with House agenda

After being perceived to be scrambling for business in its first full Parliament session in July-August, the NDA government is gearing up to be fully prepared much ahead of the winter session. There too, a long list of business is pending before the government.

After being perceived to be scrambling for business in its first full Parliament session in July-August, the NDA government is gearing up to be fully prepared much ahead of the winter session. There too, a long list of business is pending before the government.

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Sources told HT that the top brass of the government has already made it known to the rank and file that the Centre’s agenda should be ready before the session begins, preferably by first week of November.

In the budget session, parliamentary affairs ministry had to struggle to put up government business. At one point, the government was so short of business that it allowed an Opposition-sponsored discussion for almost four days as it needed time to put its house in order.

The winter session is expected to start in the last week of November. In an indication that the decision of bills will be taken in advance, parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu recently spoke about the government’s stand on the key anti-graft bills which the Centre failed to bring during the budget session: “The new government has the right to review these bills. You will know about the government’s stand before the session starts,” he said.

Midway through the last session, cabinet secretary Ajit Seth had to meet all secretaries to urge them to clear the hurdles for bills. “Things must change otherwise its tarnishes the government’s reputation,” said a senior government functionary.