Parliament Winter Session: Debate over cash-for-query row, Manipur likely
With the Parliament Winter Session starting on Monday, the Centre and the opposition are once again likely to clash over topics such as the cash-for-query row involving Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and the Manipur issue. On Saturday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi convened an all-party meeting in which leaders from 23 political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), participated. The winter session will run until December 22, with 19 bills and two financial items on the agenda.
Why does this story matter?
There are three sessions of Parliament—budget, monsoon, and winter. Traditionally, Parliament's winter session begins in November and ends before Christmas. This year, an emergency session of the Parliament was called between September 18 to 22. It was during this special session that the women's reservation bill, which provides 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state and union territory assemblies, was passed.
List of Centre's draft bills
The Centre would likely present the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for FY2023-24. Additionally, the Ethics Committee's report on the "cash-for-query" allegations against Moitra will also be tabled in Lok Sabha. A crucial bill related to the appointment of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners will also be debated. The bill couldn't be passed during the Monsoon Session due to the opposition's protests. Three other bills to replace the colonial-era criminal laws will also be debated.
Key draft legislations, demands discussed in meeting
During the all-party meeting, numerous suggestions were put forth, including calls for zero hours and seamless parliamentary operations. "Last time when the opposition wanted a discussion on Manipur, we were ready. We told this many times that we are ready but there is a proper procedure for it. This is the last session, and we are fully ready for structured debate," Joshi said. A total of 19 bills and two financial times are up for discussion this session.
Participants of all-party meet
Leaders who participated in the all-party meeting included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, and Pramod Tiwari, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay. Other leaders include Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Fouzia Khan and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader NK Premachandran.
Know about cash-for-query row
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey complained against Moitra, alleging she took bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to pose questions in Parliament, targeting Adani Group and PM Narendra Modi. He also accused her of sharing her login credentials with Hiranandani, which he allegedly mostly used from Dubai. Later, Hiranandani accused her of seeking a quick path to national fame. The ethics panel questioned Moitra following Dubey's complaint, which was based on allegations by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai—Moitra's estranged partner.
