NEW DELHI: Amid demands from the opposition to discuss bribery charges against Adani Group, govt on Sunday said the business advisory committees of both Houses will decide on matters to be discussed and urged all parties to ensure smooth running of Parliament.
The session, starting Monday, is poised to witness disruptions and adjournments with govt planning to introduce the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and the opposition demanding a debate on the violence in Manipur and the Adani issue.
On the demand to take up the Adani issue, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters after an all-party meeting that the respective business advisory committees of the two Houses will decide on matters to be discussed with consent from Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chairperson in the winter session.
Congress MPs raised the bribery charges against Adani Group and the situation in Manipur. Congress’s RS MP Pramod Tiwari said his party wanted the Adani issue to be taken up in Parliament as the first thing when it met on Monday. “It is a grave issue involving the country’s economic and security interests as over Rs 2,300 crore was allegedly paid by the company to politicians and bureaucrats to get favourable deals for its solar energy projects,” he said.
His colleague Gaurav Gogoi said the party wanted a discussion on ethnic strife in Manipur as well. He said while the CM of Jharkhand was arrested, govt still had confidence in the Manipur CM despite bouts of ethnic violence. The party also sought a discussion on rising pollution in north India and train accidents.
BJP president J P Nadda and Congress’s Jairam Ramesh were among those who attended the meeting. The winter session is scheduled to end on Dec 20.
The govt has listed 16 bills, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, for consideration in the session. The panel looking into the waqf bill is mandated to submit its report on the last day of the first week of the winter session. Opposition members on the panel have sought an extension for submission of the report.