TMC not keen on attending Parliament's monsoon session in August

The Trinamool Congress is likely

to give the monsoon session of Parliament a miss if it commences from August, a senior party leader said.

The party, however, would take a call on attending the session if it is held in September, he said.

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on March 23, nearly two weeks before schedule, as the budget session was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Last week, the Lok Sabha speaker had called me regarding the possibility of beginning the session in August. The party has told the speaker that it will not be able to attend the session if it starts this month," TMC Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay told PTI.

"We also won't be able to attend the meetings of the parliamentary committee this month," he added.

If the session commences from September, TMC would discuss the matter and take a call on it, Bandopadhyay said.

"As per norms, there cannot be a gap of more than six months between two sessions. The last one was adjourned in March this year, so by September, you have to hold the next session. We are aware of this norm and would take a call accordingly after discussions with party supremo Mamata Banerjee," the veteran leader said.

The budget session had commenced on January 31 and was scheduled to conclude on April 3, but was cut short due to the pandemic.