Decision on Parliament's Winter Session soon: Minister

The Narendra Modi government is not running away from facing Parliament and it would soon take a call on holding the Winter Session, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

"I don't think there is any situation to run away from Parliament," Goyal said at a press conference here.

There is a lot of political capital and appreciation for Modi because he is the Prime Minister of a strong, powerful nation of 125 crore Indians, he said.

He said that a "lot of people have been busy" in the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, and had requested that "they should be allowed to focus on that".

"The government will be taking a decision soon as to when Parliament should be convened," the Minister added.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) was likely to meet on Friday to take a call on holding the Winter Session of Parliament. The meeting, however, did not take place.

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

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

However, there have been precedents in the recent past when the Winter Session has been delayed and shortened in view of assembly elections in December.

In 2003, the Session was convened from December 1 to December 23 as there were assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan.

In 2008, the Session commenced on December 10 and continued till December 28 as Rajasthan assembly elections concluded on December 4. Similarly, in 2013, the Winter Session was held between December 5 and December 18.

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.

--IANS

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