As you read this, the shortest Winter Session in Indian parliamentary history will be coming to a close. Here are a few notes from my parliamentary diary.

All-party meeting: It is customary for the government to host an all-party meeting a day before each session starts. Floor leaders from 36 political parties attended. Every party, except the BJP, made interventions outlining “key issues we want discussed”. The five ministers present at the meeting welcomed all representatives at 11 am. At 1:30 pm, they politely thanked everyone present and said goodbye. So what did the government say at the meeting? Famous words: “We will get back to you.”

New MPs in the House: It was good to see Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, sitting in the visitors’ gallery of the Rajya Sabha. He was there to watch the three new MPs from his party being sworn in. Big moment for the J&K National Conference. All three gentlemen were sharply dressed, two of them in suits.

Felicitations to the Chairman: On the first day of the session, the new Rajya Sabha Chairman, C P Radhakrishnan, was welcomed by MPs across all parties.........

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