Modi govt ready to face 'stormy' Winter Session from today, TMC set to stage dharna

Fresh from its Assembly polls successes, a confident Narendra Modi-led NDA government is expected to push for the passage of key economic bills, including on the insurance sector, in the Winter Session of Parliament beginning from Monday.    

Modi govt ready to face 'stormy' Winter Session from today, TMC set to stage dharna

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday raised hopes that Winter Session of the Parliament, which is scheduled to begin from tomorrow, will go "very well" like the Budget Session.

While addressing an all-party meeting on the eve of the session, PM Modi assured them that collectively all important issues can be taken up and hoped that the month-long session will go "very well" like the last Budget Session.

"The Prime Minister said that the budget session went on very well and was constructive and successful. We hope that the winter session will also be on the same lines.

Meanwhile, Naidu told reporters here that government is more than willing to work on the suggestions of the opposition parties.

"The Prime Minister was of view that all important issues can be taken forward. PM Modi said that the budget session went on very well and was constructive and successful." he added, ANI reported.

Further pushing the Modi government's development agenda, Naidu said, "Govt wants national agenda for development to be given priority, Insurance Bill is one in that direction."

"I am confident the Opposition will coordinate with Govt on some bills, some new bills may also be introduced," he added while posing faith in the decision making power of the Opposition.

Terming the UPSC issue is an important matter, Naidu said, "Govt asks political parties to give their views on UPSC's Civil Services Aptitude Test pattern within two weeks, which will be addressed in the Parliament."   

He further criticised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his statement on 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyan' that it was done for marketing. "Rahul Gandhi's statement on Swacch Bharat is immature, we want to make it a people's movement, no politics is involved. I request Congress to take part and take credit for that," Naidu added.

"I request Mamata Banerjee to please understand that Govt has no role in functioning of CBI," Naidu said on All Indian Trinamool Congress Party's (TMC) decision to skip the all-party meet.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders today skipped the all-party meet, ahead of the beginning of the crucial Winter Session of Parliament from tomorrow.

Yesterday, the TMC did not attend the all-party meet called by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. As per reports, the party will also skip another all-party meeting called by MoS Personnel on the UPSC language row. 

"All party meet has been called on short notice on Sunday. It shows poor planning. The TMC is not attending the all-party meet. We have many issues to raise in the winter session and the biggest one is black money," TMC leader Derek O Brian had said. 

According to reports, a high drama is expected to happen during the first day of Winter Session of Parliament tomorrow as TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has reportedly said that the party will be staging a dharna opposing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Insurance in the House.

Meanwhile, the TMC facing flak from the opposition over the alleged involvement of some of its leaders in the Saradha chit fund scam, hit back at Union Minister Arun Jaitley today for critical comments about the party and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

TMC accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using black money for its election expenses. "Where is BJP getting its massive funding to continue the lavish spending in elections? Why don't they provide transparent accounts," asked TMC spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien.

"If nation knows how much black money is spent by BJP, they will become a blacklisted party," he added.

Apart from the TMC, Samajwadi Party also skipped today's meet. 40 leaders from 26 parties participated in the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance and Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Food Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, JD (U) leader KC Tyagi, NCP leader Tariq Anwar, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, DMK leader Kanimozhi, CPI leader D Raja, INLD leader Dushyant Chautala, amongst others.

Meanwhile, Left parties, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), RJD, Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to make a common cause against the Insurance bill and asked the Congress to support them for the "larger Opposition unity".

Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, was ambivalent on support to the Opposition move against the Insurance Bill, saying the party would first see what amendments the government brings.

However, Naidu downplayed the Opposition move hoping that these parties will understand the mood of the nation and the spirit of the mandate of the people and cooperate with the government.

"All bills are our priorities. National agenda of development is to be given top priority. Investment, revival of the economy and improving the economic condition of the people are priority. Insurance bill is one in that direction," he said.

Naidu said that the Insurance Bill is in an "advance stage of finalisation" and since two members of the concerned Parliamentary committee, have become ministers, two new members would be inducted immediately and it would be requested to give the report by the end of the first week of the session.

He also dismissed the reported charge of the Trinamool Congress that it was not invited for today's meeting and said that while he had spoken personally to that party's leader, his deputy in Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Rajiv Pratap Rudy had written to the party informing about the meeting. 

The Winter Session of Parliament will begin from tomorrow and end on December 23. It will consist of 22 sittings. There are 67 bills currently pending before the Parliament. Of these, nine bills were introduced in the previous Session of Parliament, while 40 of these were introduced in the 15th Lok Sabha, which was the regime of the UPA II Government. 18 other bills are pending from the earlier Lok Sabhas.

(With Agency inputs)

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