After an all-party meeting held ahead of the winter session, which would begin on Monday, Rijiju said the government had urged all parties to cooperate for the smooth functioning of Parliament. The meeting, chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, was attended by 42 leaders from 30 parties.

The Congress, through deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi, highlighted the Adani issue as a “scam” during the meeting and urged the government not to dismiss their demands on technical grounds, as the issue concerns national institutions and investors. Gogoi said, “The government should not reject or ignore our demand for technical details as it concerns Indian institutions and investors.”

The Adani Group has categorically denied the allegations, calling them baseless and stating that it complies with all legal requirements. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari also demanded prioritization of this issue, saying, “It is a serious matter involving the economic and security interests of the country as over Rs 2,300 crore was allegedly paid by the company to politicians and bureaucrats to get favorable deals for its solar projects. “

On the violence in Manipur, Gogoi accused the government of showing bias by retaining Chief Minister N. Biren Singh despite alleged involvement in the unrest while taking action against leaders in other states such as Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. He reiterated: “The matter must be debated in Parliament.”

The winter session, which runs from November 25 to December 20, will address a variety of ongoing and proposed legislation. Among the issues raised by BJP allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party was the pending implementation of promises made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014. TDP’s Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu called for a status update on these promises, and states, “We want the government to register status.”

Jana Sena’s Balashowry Vallabhaneni echoed similar concerns. Devarayalu added, “The Polavaram irrigation project has stalled.” He also pointed to the need for a discussion in parliament on disaster management, given the increasing impact of climate change on southern cities. On the Adani allegations, he remarked, “More details have to come out but our party does not want the state’s brand image to be damaged.”

DMK’s Tiruchi Siva called for the withdrawal of the Waqf (amendment) bill, which the government plans to table despite opposition from Muslim organisations. Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal and LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Arun Bharti expressed concern over frequent floods in Bihar and demanded constitutional safeguards for SCs and STs through the lateral entry provisions.

The government has listed 16 bills for consideration during the session, eight of which are pending in the Lok Sabha. Among them is the Waqf (Amendment), which is awaiting the submission of a report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). Opposition members of the JPC have accused its chairman, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, of rushing the proceedings and sought an extension to the report’s submission timeline. Rijiju said, “There is a provision to extend the tenure of the JPC but so far there has been no discussion on it.”

The session’s legislative agenda does not yet include bills related to the implementation of simultaneous elections, although reports suggest the government may introduce them during the session. PTI