Congress leader Debabrata Saikia has raised concerns about the delayed release of the notification for the annual winter session of the Assam Legislative Assembly. In a letter written to Assam Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Debabrata Saikia highlighted the absence of the customary notification from the Governor's Secretariat, a crucial step in scheduling the winter session. Saikia points out that a proposal from the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly to set the date for the session has been submitted to the government, but the official announcement is pending.
Sources reveal that the Assam Legislative Assembly Secretariat proposed holding this year's winter session in Kokrajhar. However, due to disagreements between the government and the Legislative Assembly, the Governor's announcement has been delayed. Saikia suggests that if technical difficulties in Kokrajhar pose challenges, the government could consider hosting the session in Dispur stating the importance of promptly finalizing the session date.
The letter draws attention to the constitutional requirement and parliamentary tradition of conducting legislative sessions three times a year, including budget sessions, summer sessions and winter sessions. Saikia underlines that the decision to convene the Assam Legislative Assembly thrice annually was made in 2018 during the tenure of former Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami.
Expressing hope that the Chief Minister will expedite the process and finalize the winter session's date, Saikia calls for necessary measures to ensure adherence to the established decision.