New Delhi:
With three days of a 12-day winter session gone and no work done in Parliament yet, the government today said it was considering curtailing the already short session.
Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde shared this today, emphasising that no decision has been taken yet. "They want to first pass the supplementary demand for grants (general) and supplementary demand for grants (railways) tomorrow and day after and then take a call," he said.
The ongoing winter session, which began last Thursday, is scheduled to end on Friday, December 20. At a meeting of Parliament's business advisory committee, some leaders reportedly asked what the point was in carrying on with the session when the Houses are not being allowed to function.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath though reportedly said this could be discussed later, but the government should try and pass important legislations first. Among other things it has promised to pass the anti-corruption Lok Pal Bill in this session.
The ruling Congress is yet to emerge from the shock of a massive defeat at the hands of main rival BJP in key states very close to general elections. As the party gets into a huddle to re-align its political strategy, its efforts at ensuring that Parliament runs have seemed less than spirited.
It has also had to sooth the nerves of jittery allies while it tackles an aggressive BJP emboldened by its victory.
Since the session began on December 5, the opposition has held up Parliament proceedings with constant disruptions over issues like the Joint Parliamentary Committee or JPC on the 2G spectrum scam, the death of children in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar, inflation and Telangana.
The BJP's Arun Jaitley has described the government as a lame-duck one, said, "When you are 18 short of majority, then you cannot run the government as you please. You cannot touch the 272 mark in Lok Sabha - you will need support and help. And whenever you need help, you have to compromise and pay a price".