New Delhi: Amid the ongoing impasse and heated exchanges over demands for discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise resulting in washout of Parliamentary proceedings for two consecutive days, the government and Opposition reached a truce on Tuesday. This will bring an end to the stalemate over SIR and pave the way for a heated debate on the issue in the Lower House.
The Lok Sabha will debate two issues of prominence – the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ and electoral reforms on December 8 and December 9, respectively, with the house dedicating one day each for the raging topic.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju took to X to inform about the timings of debate on respective topics, which were hammered out at the all-party meeting on Tuesday.
“During the All-Party Meeting Chaired by Hon’ble Speaker Lok Sabha today, it has been decided to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on 150th Anniversary of National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ from 12 Noon on Monday, 8th Dec and discussion on Election Reforms from 12 noon on Tuesday, 9th Dec,” he wrote in a post on X.
Notably, the opposition and treasury benches have remained engaged in verbal exchanges, with the former demanding urgent discussion on SIR, citing alleged disenfranchisement of the marginalised communities, while the latter insists on first dedicating a day for the national song – ‘Vande Mataram’.
According to the agreement reached at the All-party meet, the Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion on the completion of 150 years of Vande Mataram on December 8, with a dedicated 10-hour time, which will be subject to extension, with consent from members.
Since the beginning of the Winter Session, the Parliament has been facing repeated disruptions followed by adjournments as the Opposition remained bent on discussing the contentious and swiftly rushed voter verification drive, currently underway in 12 states/UTs.
Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha witnessed intense uproar and sloganeering, while in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition gave notice under Rule 267 for special discussion on voter revision. Responding to this, Kiren Rijiju urged the members to show some flexibility, asking them not to stick to any timeline while also assuring that a breakthrough could be possible during the huddle of all parties, later in the day.
(IANS)
