The Hindu : New Delhi News : NCP upset as Delhi winter session is cut short

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Sunday, Dec 23, 2007
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New Delhi

NCP upset as Delhi winter session is cut short

Staff Reporter

Will inform Lok Sabha Speaker of ‘irregularity’

‘Three–day session not sufficient to discuss people’s problems’
‘Governement trying to protect itself from the Opposition’s attack on several issues

NEW DELHI: The president of the Delhi unit of the Nationalist Congress Party and MLA from Badarpur, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, on Saturday hit out at the Delhi Government’s decision to call a curtailed three-day winter session of the State Assembly. He declared that he would inform the Lok Sabha Speaker of “this irregularity”.

Decisions of a meeting

In a statement, Mr. Bidhuri said that at a meeting convened by the Lok Sabha Speaker and attended by the Speakers of various State Assemblies it had been decided that in a year every big Assembly would convene sessions lasting at least 100 sittings while the smaller ones would have at least 60 sittings. “But in Delhi, the Assembly has been sitting for just 18 days on an average and that is a matter of serious concern,” he said.

The issue is snowballing into a major controversy in the Delhi Assembly that prides itself on being a role model for legislatures across India.

First time in history

Mr. Bidhuri said it would be the first time in the history of the Delhi Assembly that the winter session would have just three sittings. “Ideally,” he said, ``there should be at least 15 sittings so that the representatives of the people are able to raise and discuss problems that people are facing.”

NCP leader comments

The NCP leader said that for Delhi’s MLAs the Assembly is the only forum where they can raise issues pertaining to the public and seek their redress. “From the manner in which a curtailed session has been summoned, it appears that the Delhi Government is trying to protect itself from coming under attack by the Opposition on issues relating to water, power, price rise, public distribution system, transport system and corruption.”

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