1. Minister Pralhad Joshi leads crucial meeting with political party leaders.
2. Focus on strategizing and coordinating legislative agenda for Winter Session.
3. Aim to ensure smooth functioning of parliamentary proceedings.
New Delhi, Dec 02: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi is set to convene a crucial meeting today with floor leaders of political parties from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The objective of the meeting is to strategize and coordinate the legislative agenda, ensuring the smooth functioning of parliamentary proceedings during the Winter Session.
Scheduled to have 15 sittings until December 22, the Winter Session is a vital period for addressing pending bills and introducing new ones. Key leaders from the BJP, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, are expected to attend.
Parliament has 37 pending bills, 12 earmarked for consideration and passing, and seven scheduled for introduction, consideration, and passing. Among the significant proposals are three bills to replace colonial-era criminal laws—the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Evidence Act.
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Another crucial bill awaiting attention relates to the appointment of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners.
Despite not being prioritized during the special session, this bill seeks to align the status of the CEC and ECs with that of the cabinet secretary, elevating them to the status of a Supreme Court judge.
During the Winter Session, the Ethics Committee’s report on the “cash-for-query” allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra will be presented in the Lok Sabha.
According to agenda papers from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Ethics Committee chairperson Vinod Kumar Sonkar will table the panel’s first report, which garnered a majority with a 6:4 vote. The draft reportedly recommends severe punishment, including expulsion from the Seventeenth Lok Sabha, for Mahua Moitra based on her alleged serious misdemeanors.
For the expulsion recommendation to take effect, the House must adopt the report. This contentious issue adds to the significance of the Winter Session as it addresses crucial legislative matters and the ethical conduct of parliamentary members.
