'Parliament should not be stalled during Winter Session': Kiren Rijiju after all-party meeting
The Winter Session of Parliament will begin on December 1 and will continue till December 19. The three-week-long session of Parliament comes against the backdrop of the overwhelming victory of the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar Assembly elections.
The Centre on Sunday convened the all-party meeting ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, where the opposition is likely to rake up various issues, including Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the Delhi blast and foreign policy matters that it wants to raise in both House.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal represented the government at the meeting. The opposition was represented by Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi and Pramod Tiwari, DMK's T R Baalu, TMC's Derek O’Brien, and IUML's ET Mohammed Bashir.
Union Minister J P Nadda attended as the BJP representative in his capacity as party president and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. Other participants included RJD's Manoj Jha, SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha.
'Parliament should not be stalled': Kiren Rijiju
Following the all-party meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that all parties have offered valuable suggestions, which the government has taken positively. He stressed that Parliament should function smoothly and not face disruptions.
He added that the government will continue engaging with all parties to ensure the session proceeds without hindrance. The issues raised will be discussed during the Business Advisory Committee meetings scheduled for this evening.
"No one said that the Parliament will not function or will not let it function. Some leaders said that they can create a ruckus in the House over SIR. I am saying this in a positive manner that we are ready to listen to the opposition...Parliament belongs to everyone; it belongs to the country. There is a method to discuss every issue in the Parliament. There are rules, there are conventions," he added.
The customary all-party meet aims to ensure smooth functioning of both Houses during the session, where several new bills are expected to be introduced. The Winter Session begins on Monday and will continue until December 19, with a total of 15 sittings. The opposition has termed it a “brief session,” noting that Parliament sessions typically have around 20 sittings.
The three-week long session of Parliament comes against the backdrop of the overwhelming victory of the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar Assembly elections which is expected to reflect in the renewed push for reforms after a virtual washout of the Monsoon session.
Bill to be tabled during Winter Session
Besides the crucial 'The Atomic Energy Bill, 2025', which seeks to govern the use and regulation of atomic energy in India, the Higher Education Commission of India Bill and eight other draft legislations are also on the agenda for the session which will have 15 sittings.
The government already had to step back from its plans to bring a bill to empower the president to make regulations for the Union Territory of Chandigarh directly, after stiff resistance from across the political spectrum.
Among the bills planned by the government, the Higher Education Commission of India Bill seeks to set up a Commission to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes to become independent and self-governing institutions and to promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy.
The National Highways (Amendment) Bill, also listed for introduction, seeks to ensure faster and transparent land acquisition for national highways.
Another proposed legislation is the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which aims at tweaking the Companies Act, 2013 and LLP Act, 2008, to facilitate ease of doing business.
Also on the government's agenda is the Securities Markets Code Bill (SMC), 2025, which proposes to consolidate provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, Depositories Act, 1996, and Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, into a rationalised single Securities Markets Code.
The government also plans changes to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act.
Also Read: Centre calls all-party meeting on November 30 ahead of Parliament's winter session
Also Read: Parliament Winter Session to be held from December 1-19: Kiren Rijiju