CCPA likely to take call on Winter Session

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) is meeting on Friday to decide on the dates for a possible short winter session of both the Houses after the election campaign in Gujarat ends on December 12.

Government sources said the CCPA, headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, will be meeting on Friday morning to take a call on the Winter Session of Parliament.

Asked about the delay in announcing the session, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday put the onus of the decision on the CCPA.

"As far as the Parliament session is concerned, I understand the Parliamentary Affairs Committee will take a call. (Parliamentary Affairs Minister) Ananth Kumar is in touch with them (members)," Prasad said.

The two-phased polls in Gujarat are scheduled to be held on December 9 and 14. Since Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, the saffron party is leaving no stone unturned in reaching out to the voters.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding the convening of the Winter Session of Parliament at the earliest. The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Modi government is deliberately avoiding facing Parliament.

"Parliament is the mirror of accountability. Parliament is the only platform to discuss several policies of the government. It is the most important constitutional base to expose the discrepancies of the government," said party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Usually, Parliament's Winter Session commences from mid-November and goes on till December-end.

Parliament is conventionally convened three times a year for the budget session, monsoon session and the winter session.

As per the Constitution of India, there should not be a gap of more than six months between two parliamentary sessions.

Though there is no precedent of a parliamentary session being entirely skipped due to state polls, there are instances in the past when the winter session has been curtailed on account of assembly elections.

--IANS

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