New Delhi, November 22 (IANS): The government is considering calling the winter session of Parliament from December 15 after completion of polling in Gujarat in the Assembly elections and the dates would be out once the Presidential nod is secured for an ordinance on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy code. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, met on Wednesday and decided that the session would end on January 5, sources said. There are likely to be 13 sittings. A formal announcement on the dates is likely to be made in a day or two after President Ram Nath Kovind signs the ordinance since an ordinance cannot be promulgated during a session. Parliament is considered to be in session once it is formally convened. Rejecting opposition criticism that the government wants to avoid parliament before the elections, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the session will be held and it will be a regular session, not overlapping with the Gujarat Assembly election dates. The Congress and the BJP have been at loggerheads over the winter session, with the opposition accusing the government of trying to avoid exposure over embarrassing issues ahead of the Gujarat elections.
