india

Updated: Jul 20, 2019 01:16 IST

The government is considering extending Parliament’s ongoing session by five working days, two persons aware of developments said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hinted as much at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party meeting last Tuesday.

The current session, which has been “productive” for the treasury benches in that several important bills were cleared, started on June 17 and is scheduled to end on July 26. If extended, the session will continue till August 2.

“This session has been smooth and several important bills have been cleared. If we get some extra working days, it will help us pass other pending legislations for which we may, otherwise, not get time in this session,” the first person said, asking not to be named.

This is the first Parliament session after Prime Minister Modi returned to power with a bigger majority and the Congress failed a second time to secure the position of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. While the BJP bagged 303 seats in the 2019 general elections, up from 282 five years ago, the Congress managed only 52 seats, up from 44 in the 2014 elections.

The second person said the ongoing session had been long, but a lot of time was taken up by the oath-taking of newly elected members and the debate on the Union Budget.

“The Opposition is devoid of any major issue against the government at this point of time and Parliament is expected to run smoothly. We want to make the best of this situation,” the second person said, on condition of anonymity.

According to a study by PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha recorded 128% productivity but only 23% of the total time was spent on legislative work. Financial business took 33% of the time in the Lower House.

There are some important legislations pending that have to be cleared in the current session, the second leader said.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha on June 21, but no time has yet been allotted for a discussion on it. This bill will replace an ordinance, and the government is keen that it clears both Houses in the current session.