NEW DELHI: Winter Session of Parliament will begin on Nov 25 and continue till Dec 20. It is set to be a stormy one with contentious Bills, including Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and also a legislation on ‘one nation, one election’, likely to be taken up.
This session also coincides with 75th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution on Nov 26. The celebration for Constitution Day will be held at Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, highlighting the historical and ongoing importance of the Constitution.
“President, on recommendation of govt, has approved proposal for summoning both Houses of Parliament for Winter Session, 2024, from 25th Nov to 20th Dec, 2024 (subject to exigencies of parliamentary business),” parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said.
Joint Parliamentary Committee on waqf bill, having held several rounds of meetings and consultations, is expected to submit its report on Nov 29 in Parliament, if it sticks to the deadline given to it in the previous session.
On ‘one nation, one election’ legislation, home minister Amit Shah had recently indicated that govt might bring the legislation, with an assertion that the Bill will be through even as majority of opposition parties have decided to oppose it. Recently, PM Narendra Modi had highlighted that his govt is working towards achieving ‘one nation, one election’ which will ensure simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
“We are now working towards ‘one nation, one election’, which will strengthen India’s democracy, give optimum outcome of its resources and the country will gain new momentum in achieving the dream of a developed India. Today, India is moving towards ‘one nation, one civil code’ that is a secular civil code,” the PM had said at Kevathia in Gujarat on birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
However, Congress has rejected the idea of implementing ‘one nation, one election’, saying the PM has to take everyone in Parliament into confidence on this issue. Following Modi’s speech, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge dismissed the idea of simultaneous polls and dubbed it “impossible”.