Parliament's Winter Session to be held from December 15 to January 5

New Delhi: The delayed Winter Session of Parliament will begin on December 15 and continue till January 5, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said on Friday.

"The Winter Session of Parliament will be held between December 15 to January 5. It will have 14 sittings," Kumar told reporters here.

He also said that Parliament will remain closed on December 25 and 26 for Christmas.

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The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, had met on November 22 to decide on the dates for the session.

The dates were announced after the government promulgated two ordinances, one related on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the other on exempting Bamboo produced in non-forest areas from classification as a "tree" under the Indian Forest (Amendment) Act.

The Congress and the opposition parties have been criticising the delay in holding the session, saying it was being done as the government did not want to face inconvenient issues ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections.

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The Congress had petitioned President Ram Nath Kovind on the issue on Thursday.

The Parliament session normally begins in the third week of November and continues for about a month.

with IANS inputs...