Parliament likely to adjourn sine die today

In its last ditch effort, the government is expected to give its final push to the Goods and Services Tax Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

The whole session has so far been washed out due to protests by the opposition, led by the Congress, on the Lalit Modi controversy and Vyapam scam.

The march will be held shortly before the Parliament is expected to be adjourned sine die by the NDA government.

This was despite having the enormous task of passing 24 bills in the monsoon session.

This was the first session of the new Lok Sabha which witnessed so many disruptions as the earlier sessions during the Narendra Modi dispensation had witnessed a record work.

On Tuesday, the government had moved for consideration of Rajya Sabha the Constitution amendment bill for introduction of GST, but a debate on it was blocked by a vociferous Congress which raised procedural issues.

Three weeks of chaos in Parliament, marked by a bitter tussle between the Congress and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), may have affected legislative business, but there was some glimmer of hope as regional party members took the high moral ground and spoke beyond party politics.

Naidu also talked about the efforts of the government to take the oppositon on board and the various meetings and back- channel talks through which it had tried to reach out to them.

The Speaker’s action made several opposition parties join hands with Congress and they collectively boycotted the Lower House of Parliament for five days to show solidarity with the suspended MPs. The bill to replace it is still before the Joint Committee of Parliament headed by BJP member S.S. Ahluwalia, which is examining the contentious measure, and it has decided to bring it only in Winter session. An ordinance can not be re-promulgated while the House is in session.