NEW DELHI, June 24:
Parliament will meet from July 21 for its Monsoon session during which the Government is expected to face a relentless attack from Congress over the Lalit Modi row that has snowballed into a major controversy involving two senior BJP leaders.
With the Congress sticking to its demand for the resignation of Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje as External Affairs Minister and Rajasthan Chief Minister respectively, the nearly four-week long session of Parliament that is scheduled to last till August 13 is likely to be stormy.
The land acquisition bill is also expected to rock Parliament. It has been referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) at is meeting here today is learnt to have recommended the dates for the monsoon session from July 21 to August 13. The monsoon session is usually a four-week affair.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh heads CCPA which also has several senior ministers, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, as its members.
The earlier proposal was that the session should start from July 20, a Monday. But as the festival of Eid may fall on July 18 or 19, a decision was taken to start it from July 21
Congress has already warned Government that it should take steps to “save” Parliament and that it will be “impossible” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to face it if Swaraj and Raje continue to hold their posts. BJP has, however, rejected the demand.
Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that it would be virtually impossible to transact any business if the opposition demands are not met over the Lalit Modi visa issue.
Swaraj and Raje have faced flak for helping the tainted former IPL boss to procure travel documents in the UK, a country which he has made his home to avoid legal processes in India.
Government is hoping to get the land legislation enacted by the end of the Monsoon session amid stiff resistance from the opposition parties.
The amendments to the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, the Railways (Amendment) Bill, the Waterways Bill, the GST Bill, the amendments to the land acquisition bill, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill and Benami Transactions (Prohibition) amendment Bill, 2015 are some of the key measures pending in Parliament.
Lok Sabha had 35 sittings during the budget session, the highest in the last five years, while Rajya Sabha held 32 sittings.
During the last session, Lok Sabha lost six hours and 54 minutes due to interruptions but made up for the lost time by giving up lunch breaks and working beyond scheduled time for 42 hours and 41 minutes. Rajya Sabha lost 18 hours and 28 minutes but made up for 20 hours.
The government is keen on a minimum of 100 sittings of Parliament each year as recommended by the last Conference of Chief Whips and Floor Leaders of Legislatures held in October 2014. (PTI)
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