Ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, Assam Congress President and MP Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday demanded discussions on several critical issues, including the Delhi blast incident near the Red Fort, asserting that the session is likely to be the shortest in recent years.
The Winter Session of Parliament is scheduled to commence on December 1 and continue until December 19. Speaking to reporters, Gogoi expressed concern over the limited time allocated for discussions and indicated that the government appeared reluctant to prioritise key matters.
"The winter session is only 19 days long, of which discussions can take place only for 15 days. This will likely be the shortest winter session ever. Therefore, it seems the government itself wants to derail Parliament. We raised the security issue, which should be discussed. The blast in Delhi is, in some ways, a testimony to the failures of our legal and home affairs departments," he said.
Gogoi further highlighted the need to discuss the security of democracy. "The second is the security of democracy. The way in which in different states the Election Commission, before the polls, during the polls and after the polls, is being politically biased then will the election process run according to the Constitution? There should be a discussion on the security of voter lists and election security," he said.
He said that the third demand was the security of our health, given the way air pollution is increasing in every corner of the country.
"The fourth issue was our economic security. The farmers and labourers are not getting the right amount. The fifth issue we raised was natural security. The way floods, landslides, and hurricanes are occurring, there is no preparation. We also raised the issue of our foreign policy, which we are seeing that India is formulating its foreign policy according to other countries," Gogoi said.
He also pointed out the vulnerability of data security in the age of artificial intelligence.
"In the age of AI, the way we should be prepared, we have not discussed it in the Parliament. It seems that the current government is burying the entire parliamentary decorum, derailing it, and digging the grave of this tradition of Indian democracy. And that's why all opposition parties are united on this issue. Tomorrow, we will have a meeting of all our parties with Kharge ji," he added.
The government convened an all-party meeting on Sunday ahead of the winter session of Parliament, which is set to begin on December 1.
The INDIA bloc floor leaders have also called for a meeting at the office of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament on Monday.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju met the floor leaders of political parties of both Houses of Parliament.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, JP Nadda and others attended the all-party meeting.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that they would listen to the opposition parties.
Speaking to ANI, Kiren Rijiju said, "There's an all-party meeting today. We'll sit with all the leaders of all the parties and listen to them. We won't be saying much on behalf of the government today. We'll listen to the opposition parties. There's a Business Advisory Committee meeting in the evening. The Lok Sabha meeting is at 4 pm, and the Rajya Sabha's at 5 pm. We'll present our business at the committee meetings."
"Since it's the winter session, we hope everyone works with a cool head and avoids heated debates. There will be a debate in Parliament, and I hope there will be no disturbances. If we work with a cool head, it'll be beneficial for the country, and the Parliament session will run smoothly," he added. Parliament is set to have 15 sittings across 19 days. Private Members' Bills are set to be taken for consideration on December 5 and 19, and Private Members' resolutions on December 12. (ANI)
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
