Govt data highlights waning scope of all-party meetings

The ambit of the long-standing culture of holding all-party meetings on crucial national and international issues appears to have narrowed over the years, government data indicates, with such meetings largely focussing on parliamentary affairs in recent years.

While the all-party meetings were mostly chaired by the Prime Minister, the home ministry and the finance ministry on various issues in the governments led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmoings istry of parliamentary affairs show that Prime Minister Vajpayee’s government was most active in calling such meetings. Between 1998 and 2004, 31 all-party meetings were held.

To be sure, the Narendra Modiled government has held more such meetings — 26 — in the last seven years than the Manmohan Singh-led government, which held 17 all-party meetings in 10 years, it said.

The data shows that during the last seven years, routine all-party meetings have been held every year ahead of Parliament sessions. The meetings were organised on

were crucial, as many policy directives including those on how to end the federal lockdown were discussed, and the Centre announced that the lockdown would not be stopped abruptly. One meeting, in September 2016, was chaired by the Union home finance minister presided a larger number of the meetings.

Vajpayee presided over 23 out of the 31 meetings that were called on a variety of subjects under his leadership. On March 10, 2003, floor leaders met to discuss “the evolving situation with regard to Iraq” followed by another meeting on the “current situation in Iraq” on March 22 in the same year. In 1998, months after Vajpayee came to power, two all-party meetings were held on the women’s reservation bill on October 7 and December 9.

A drought situation in 2000 and an earthquake in Gujarat in the held on the land acquisition bill on April 9 and 18, 2013, while Reservation in Promotions SCS & STS in the Posts and Services was discussed at an all-party meeting at PM Singh’s house on August 8, 2012.

The latest all-party meeting on Covid-19 in the current government was held on July 18. PM Modi chaired the physical meeting at the Parliament annex and the Union health ministry gave a detailed briefing to several floor leaders on the progress related to vaccines, and Covid management.

An all-party meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh remained firm on its demand debate on the Pegasus row. ernment managers, who negotiating with the Opposi leaders for a breakthrough, sa tle merit in such a meeting w the outcome appeared to be pr termined, a person aware o matter said.

“It is always expected tha government of the day will all-party meetings on impor internal and external deve ments regularly. All-party m ings can, at times, facilitate b functioning of Parliament, bu quent consultations with o parties, taking them on board