Parliament's winter session will surely be held: Speaker

Amid a war of words between the government and the opposition over Parliament's winter session, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Tuesday that it will "surely be held" but did not indicate the dates.

"It will be held, surely held," Mahajan told the media on the sidelines of a function here.

There is speculation that the a short winter session will be held after December 10. The session normally begins in the third week of November and lasts about a month.

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs is expected to be held in the next few days to decide the dates for the winter session.

The Congress has alleged that the government is delaying the winter session to avoid questions on issues like unemployment, corruption, Goods and Services Tax, and Amit Shah's son Jay Shah, which could "expose" them in the Gujarat polls to be held on December 9 and 14.

The BJP has termed the Congress allegations baseless, saying that the accommodation of dates between an election campaign and a session is an established tradition.

--IANS

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