Govt disallows virtual Parliament Standing Committee talks; Congress points to PM's meets

As Rajya Sabha disallows virtual meetings of standing committees, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday, claimed that this had been the trend for the past one year. He pointed out that while PM can hold all his sessions virtually, 30 odd MPs cannot hold a meeting. Pointing out that Central Vista project was being classified as 'essential work', he lamented that no parliament has run away from its duties like in India.

Jairam Ramesh slams Rajya Sabha

Both Trinamool and Congress have written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging them to let parliamentary committee meetings be held virtually to enable them to address issues of public interest amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This is the TMC's third letter on the issue, the party said, adding that the first letter was written in July, 2020 and the second letter in August, 2020. Similarly,  Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge sought Naidu's intervention and said parliamentary panels can contribute to the ongoing endeavours in containing this pandemic.

"At this hour of collective crisis, the Parliament of India cannot be and must not be a mute spectator. It must give a message of solidarity with the people, of serious business to alleviate their agony and of unity of purpose," said Kharge in his letter. He added, "The meetings of the Standing Committees at this juncture will provide the nation much required collective initiative across the party lines. They are an effective instrument to ensure accountability, to provide institutional platform to all stakeholders and to collective explore solutions. It is in this spirit that I urge you to allow the virtual meetings of the Standing Committees," he said in his letter.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him to convene a special session of the Parliament on the COVID-19 crisis. He addressed the grave situation in the country amid the pandemic and demanded a special session in this hour of crisis. In his letter to the President, Chowdhury urged that a special “COVID crisis” session should be held so that the MPs could discuss about the situation that people are having to face in their own constituencies. Parliament's next session is due to begin in June 2021.