The Winter Session of the Parliament will begin on the 15th of December and end on the 5th of January. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh stated this on Wednesday.
Addressing a Press Conference in New Delhi, Union Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters the Winter Session schedule would not overlap with the Assembly Elections.
Jaitley stated the Gujarat polls were important for the BJP and they would be busy campaigning there. But he was not sure whether its opponents would be busy in the campaigning or not.
BJP not giving a confirmed date for the Winter Session resulted in a verbal conflict between the Congress and the BJP on Tuesday. The Congress claimed the Government was doing so to avoid a debate on “scams,” including the Rafale Deal during the Gujarat polls.
The BJP however, countered their claims stating it as, “chorus of baseless allegations” and added the previous Government including the UPA had also scheduled sessions after State polls.
Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of “sabotage.” She further added the Government is worried about being held accountable for the economic slowdown that saw the growth rate declining in the last quarter to a 3 year low of 5.7%.
Ananth Kumar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, stated the Opposition party is suffering from “selective amnesia” as in 2008 and 2013 the Winter Sessions were held in December.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, a Senior BJP Leader, asserted the Assembly polls have often played a role in fixing the time of the sessions. He also stated the scheduling of the session was an “established tradition.”
The Congress was already looking for an excuse for its impending defeat in the State polls, Prasad added.
Amidst these conflicts, the thoughts of “acche din” (good days) are long forgotten with the parties craving for power and ready to jab at each other’s throats.
