The Government has decided to extend the ongoing Parliament Session till August 7 to take up and finish legislative business. The session, which began on June 17, was earlier scheduled to end on July 26.
While the Opposition is not in favour of the extension, the decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. Over half a dozen Bills, including Triple Talaq, are yet to be passed by Parliament.
As soon as the Triple Talaq Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi rose to inform Speaker Om Birla about the decision to extend the session.
The Government had indicated on Wednesday that the session could be extended. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Opposition parties should not have any objection as they have been in favour of Parliament working for at least 100 days in a year. Answering queries from reporters after meeting of the Union Cabinet, he said 80 per cent of the Bills being taken up were those which had lapsed with the dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha as these could not be passed in Rajya Sabha.
He said the Bills could not be passed for nearly one-and-a-half years and were being taken up now.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday had also informed his party members during the Parliamentary party meeting that the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament could be extended for 10 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar besides some others were present during that meeting.
Modi had hinted about the likely extension of the session during a BJP Parliamentary party meeting earlier this month.