Monsoon session of Parliament may be cancelled owing to Covid

For the second year running, the monsoon session of Parliament, usually summoned in July, is unlikely to be held this year as well due to the coronavirus second wave that has gripped India.

Last year, too, the two presiding officers of both houses of Parliament had cancelled the monsoon session and clubbed it with the winter session.

Knowledgeable source confirmed that this year as well, the government is keen to avoid the monsoon session as elected representatives will need to look after their constituents’ welfare and carry out rehabilitation work in their constituencies. The Centre too is busy firefighting the medical oxygen crisis and hopes that by mid-May the Covid curve might flatten.

Considering these issues, a consensus is emerging from private conversations between the two presiding officers and leaders of the opposition parties that the monsoon session is best cancelled.

However, the final decision will be left to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.

The government is expected to take a call on cancelling the monsoon session of Parliament by the middle of May, it is learnt.