NEW DELHI, Dec 2: In a bid to resolve the deadlock in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla convened a meeting with the floor leaders of various political parties at Parliament House on Monday afternoon. The meeting aimed to facilitate discussions and ensure the smooth functioning of the two Houses, which have been marred by repeated adjournments due to opposition demands.
During the meeting, Speaker Om Birla urged all members to allow the House to function effectively, emphasizing the importance of constructive discussions. The leaders present agreed to cooperate in ensuring smooth proceedings in Lok Sabha. Among those in attendance were Gaurav Gogoi (Congress), Kalyan Banerjee (TMC), Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu (TDP), T. R. Baalu (DMK), Supriya Sule (NCP), Dharmendra Yadav (SP), Dileshwar Kamait (JD-U), Abhay Kushwaha (RJD), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena – UBT), and K. Radhakrishnan (CPI-M).
Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju briefed reporters outside Parliament. He announced that a special discussion on the Constitution would be held on December 13-14 in the Lok Sabha and December 16-17 in the Rajya Sabha. Rijiju expressed optimism about the Parliament resuming normal functioning from Tuesday. He mentioned that members had collectively recognized the negative impact of the stalemate and agreed on the need for discussions to begin.
“Today, all-party floor leaders met with Speaker Om Birla to address the deadlock. Everyone agreed that it is not good for Parliament to remain dysfunctional, as elected representatives are here to express their views. It has been decided that discussions will commence tomorrow, with the first bill expected to pass in Lok Sabha,” said Rijiju.
The minister added that the Speaker had reminded the leaders about procedural rules for raising issues in Parliament and urged them to refrain from disrupting proceedings. Rijiju reiterated his appeal to opposition MPs to honor the agreements made during the meeting.
The opposition had put forth several demands, including a discussion on the Adani issue, the Sambhal violence, and the situation in Manipur, which had led to the disruption of proceedings since the Winter Session began on November 25. Monday’s session also saw both Houses adjourned till noon and later for the entire day.
Leaders present at the meeting expressed optimism about resuming normal proceedings. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi stated that the opposition had been pressing for a discussion on the Constitution to commemorate 75 years of its adoption. TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee echoed this sentiment, expressing hope for a fresh start from Tuesday.
The Winter Session, scheduled to continue until December 20, is expected to see Parliament resume its legislative and discussion activities, with both Houses focusing on listed business and critical debates.
