Parliament winter session: Centre targets 25 bills over 22 days

Nearly 25 pending bills and 14 new ones, including GST and Muslim women rights, will be picked up in the Winter session

NEW DELHI: Parliament winter session is all set to begin today on Friday. Nearly 25 pending bills and 14 new ones, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Muslim women rights, will be picked up in the session spread over 22 days.

"Main issues in the session will be supplementary demand for grants, Constitutional amendment Article 123 (Constitutional status to backward classes), Muslim women Right on Marriage 2017 bill. We will also discuss three ordinances including GST compensation to states," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Thursday.

Among the 25 Bills, few crucial Bills expected to be taken up are:

1. The Goods & Services Tax (Compensation to States) Ordinance, 2017 
2. Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill
3. Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017
4. Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017
5. Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016
6. Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 
7. Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016.

The Opposition has been claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre delayed the Winter Session to avoid raking up key including GST ahead of the Gujarat and Himachal Assembly polls. 

Gujarat polls were held in two phases on December 9 and 14, Himachal elections on November 9. The counting for both the states will be held on December 18.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired an all-party meet to chalk out the strategy of the winter session of Parliament. He requested for cooperation by all parties in order to make the Parliament session a fruitful one.

"The Prime Minister appealed to everyone for a successful Parliament winter session. He also appealed to everyone for a peaceful session following the high-pitched election," Kumar added.

Parliament Winter Session which will start from December 15, 2017, and last till January 5, 2018, is expected to witness heavy fireworks as the Congress would try to corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over a range of issues.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had asserted that the Congress party would raise various issues in the Parliament session including Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetisation, Rafael deal and economic condition.