Winter session of Hry Assembly from Nov 13, likely to be stormy

The winter session of the Haryana Assembly beginning from November 13, is likely to be a stormy affair. While the Congress is likely to prominently raise the farmers' issues of shortage of DAP fertiliser and procurement concerns in the mandis, the ruling BJP is set to take on the main opposition party, the Congress, which has failed to arrive at a consensus on the Leader of the Opposition about a month after the declaration of the result for the recently concluded Assembly elections.

After a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Assembly held under the chairmanship of Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harvinder Kalyan on Monday, State Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told the reporters that it has been decided that the session will be held on November 13, 14 and 18. Saini further said, “It will be the first full-fledged session of the 15th Haryana Assembly. The 90-member assembly met on October 25 but the House was adjourned sine die on the same day after newly elected MLAs were administered oath and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker were elected. Some bills will also be brought during the session." Asked about the delay by Congress in naming the Leader of Opposition, the Chief Minister quipped, "This is their internal matter."

Others present in the BAC meeting include Deputy Speaker Krishan Lal Middha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda, Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal, INLD's MLA Arjun Chautala and Independent MLA Savitri Jindal.

With the first sitting of the newly constituted 15th Haryana Vidhan Sabha concluding after the newly elected MLAs took oath on October 25, the second sitting will commence on November 13 with the Governor's address, followed by a discussion in the House on the motion of thanks and the Chief Minister will reply on November 14.  The new BJP government is likely to bring some bills including on ensuring job security for contractual employees.

The opposition Congress, still reeling from the third consecutive defeat in assembly polls, has yet to decide on its legislature party leader. Talking to reporters, Senior Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal said that the decision is likely to be taken by the party high command after the Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls. The Haryana Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which had held its first meeting in Chandigarh on October 18 after the Assembly poll results were announced on October 8, had passed a resolution authorising the party high command to appoint its next leader in the house.

Bhukkal said that the Congress will raise issues like the shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) that is affecting farmers. Party will also raise issues related to farmers, health, education, unemployment, inflation and drugs during the winter session. "Farmers are facing a DAP shortage and they have to stand in queues, but the government is claiming there is no shortage," Bhukkal said. "We will also raise the issue of defacement of our cities where one finds posters, hoardings and banners put up on the walls. Besides, there is heaps of garbage dumped here and there," she alleged.

Talking to reporters, Haryana Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda said that the opposition has no specific agenda for this session. The opposition has no substantial issues to raise in the House and is instead embroiled in internal conflicts. "To date, they have not even been able to select a Leader of the Opposition," he added.

Dhanda further said, "It is essential to have a Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly to facilitate meaningful discussions. People not only look to the government, but also to the opposition leaders to raise the concerns of their respective areas. Without a Leader of the Opposition, what can the public expect from them?"

The Parliamentary Affairs Minister further said that the State government is fully prepared to conduct the session smoothly. In addition to supplementary demands, some ordinances will be passed during the session, and other legislative processes will also be completed. "Our government has introduced a new practice in the House where every MLA is given an opportunity to speak, whether during the budget session or the winter session," he added.

Dhanda asserted that any issues raised by them will be countered effectively in the Assembly. "It would have been preferable if the opposition had selected its Leader of the Opposition prior to the start of the session. This would have upheld the dignity of the House," he said. He also criticized the opposition for dragging unrelated issues into the debate, stating, "The opposition's comments about selecting a Leader of the Opposition after the Maharashtra elections are irrelevant. The Haryana Assembly session has nothing to do with the Maharashtra elections," he added.

The Minister accused the Congress of attempting to mislead the public by misrepresenting the facts in the name of the Assembly. "However, the people of Haryana have already shown the Congress its true standing in the state," he concluded.

After the BAC meeting, Speaker Kalyan also held a meeting with the senior Administrative officials of Haryana, Punjab and UT Chandigarh to review the preparations for the Vidhan Sabha winter session. He said that necessary guidelines were given to the officers concerned regarding security arrangements. The Speaker also inspected the Legislative Assembly premises. “A short training/orientation will be organized on Tuesday (November 12) for the newly elected MLAs of the 15th Haryana Legislative Assembly,” the Speaker added.