Big Boost For Shashi Tharoor Likely If Centre Makes This Parliament Move

The tenure of parliamentary standing committees could be extended to two years from the current one year. The government is considering the opposition's suggestion to hike the tenure to ensure that the bills and policy matters are scrutinised more thoroughly and in depth, said sources.

The committees' tenures are ending this month, and any change of the chairpersons is unlikely at this moment.

The move will be politically significant since it would provide a big boost to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor amid his alleged differences with his party. Mr Tharoor was appointed as the chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on September 26 last year, and an extension would allow him to remain the chairman for two more years.

Currently, there are 24 standing committees, each comprising 31 members, including 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Each committee monitors proceedings, budgets, and the policies of a specific ministry or department.

The chairpersons are nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman, while the members are selected based on nominations received from the political parties.

The standing committees are reconstituted every year, and the entry of new members in the panels often disrupts continuity. In view of such challenges, Opposition members have been demanding an extension in the committee tenures to allow in-depth scrutiny of bills, reports, and issues.