Ahead of the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that an all-party meeting will be held on Sunday where the government will listen to all political parties. Speaking to IANS, Kiren Rijiju said, “There is an all-party meeting tomorrow, and we will listen to everyone there.
As for the bulletins that mention parliamentary etiquette, every Member is aware of it." The government will convene the all-party meeting on Sunday ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, beginning Monday. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will meet the floor leaders of political parties from both Houses of Parliament during the meeting.
During the meeting, the government will seek cooperation from all political parties to ensure the smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha during the session. The Winter Session will be held from December 1 to December 19.
Several important legislations are scheduled to be taken up for discussion and passage during this period. The government intends to begin the Winter Session with a full-day discussion on 'Vande Mataram' as the nation marks 150 years of the national song.
The focus will be on the complete recitation of the song, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that the removal of "significant verses" in 1937 played a role in the Partition of India. “In 1937, significant verses of ‘Vande Mataram’, the very essence of its spirit, were removed.
Stanzas of the song were broken up. This removal sowed the seeds for the eventual Partition of the country. Today’s generation needs to understand why such injustice was committed against this great mantra of nation-building, because that same divisive mindset continues to pose a major challenge even today,” the Prime Minister had said on November 7.
The government is also planning to introduce 10 key Bills during the session, including those related to nuclear energy, higher education, corporate law, and the securities market. Meanwhile, the Opposition is preparing to strongly oppose the voter-list revision exercise being conducted by the Election Commission of India in nine states and Union Territories.
The Trinamool Congress has repeatedly criticised the exercise, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee calling it "votebandi". She has asserted that she will protect voters’ rights at any cost, even if it requires extreme protest.