25 Dec :The government today decided to get Parliament prorogued and to have a new brief session in the middle of February next year, scotching speculation about prolonging further the Monsoon session.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, met today and decided to recommend to President that the session that concluded on Tuesday be prorogued.
Briefing reporters after the CCPA meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vyalar Ravi said the next session will be held sometime in the middle of February next year.When asked about when the new session would be convened, he said the CCPA would meet again to decide on the schedule.
Earlier at a press conference, Ravi dismissed reports that the government had decided to prorogue the session under pressure from Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.Ravi said it was not fair to drag the Speaker’s name in the issue and added that he was "surprised" to see media reports in this regard.
"It was never the intention of the government to prolong the session," Minster of State for Parliamentary P K Bansal, who was also present, said.Ravi said a notice was issued on Tuesday itself for convening a meeting of the CCPA today to prorogue the House.
Before adjourning the House, the agenda for the CCPA was issued, he said.