Winter session of Parliament from 26 November to 23 December 2015

Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) today met and recommended convening of Winter session of Parliament from November 26 till December 23, 2015 subject to the exigencies of Government Business. This was announced to the media by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu. Shri Naidu also informed that separate special sittings of both the Houses of Parliament will be held on the first two days of Winter session to discuss ‘Commitment to the Constitution’ as a part of 125th Birth Anniversary celebration of Dr.Bhim Rao Ambedkar and November 26 will be observed as ‘Constitution Day’ commemorating the acceptance of Draft Constitution on November 26,1949. Question Hour and Zero Hour will be dispensed with on these two days.
Talking to media persons later, Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu urged the opposition parties in the Parliament to cooperate in passing of important pending Bills pertaining to introduction of Goods and Service Tax (GST) and setting up Real Estate Regulators etc. He said that the Bihar Assembly Verdict reflected the mood of the people in the state and it should not be construed as a mandate to stall the functioning of the Parliament. He said : “I was disturbed by media reports and analyses in the media after yesterday’s Bihar verdict that opposition parties in the Parliament will now be more emboldened to unite and stall the government’s Parliamentary agenda for the coming winter session. I sincerely hope that it is not the view of the concerned parties. All concerned need to understand the Bihar verdict in right perspective. People of Bihar like in other states too want development. By development, it means rapid economic growth through flow of investments into different sector like infrastructure, power, irrigation, education, health etc.
To realise rapid economic growth, we need to put in right environment in place. This required carefully considered reforms. To interpret Bihar verdict in any other manner only amounts to questining the wisdom of the people of the state. Bihar verdict is a clear statement of people’s aspirations. It should not be interpreted as a mandate to obstruct Parliament. Development of Bihar and that of India are interlinked and are mutually reinforcing. The legislative initiatives under consideration of the Parliament are equally crucial for Bihar in as much as for other states. Measures for introduction of GST and Real Estate Regulator have been initiated long back and need to be taken to their logical conclusion given the benefits that flow. Opposition parties may have some concerns and the Government is always willing to sit with them and address them. This has been our approach since assumption of office last year.”