Congress likely to get chairmanship of 4 standing committees of Parliament, say sources

New Delhi: Congress, the principal opposition party in the Lok Sabha, is likely to chair four department-related standing committees of Parliament, including one of the "top four", sources said on Monday.

The party has sought the chairmanship of six such panels, they said.

The DMK may get to chair one panel each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and the TMC is likely to get the chairmanship of one committee.

Though the Samajwadi Party has 37 members in the Lok Sabha, it is insisting on a Rajya Sabha committee with Ram Gopal Yadav as its head, the sources said, adding he may get the standing committee on education which is serviced by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

He may get to chair that committee, the sources said.

According to them, the Congress may get to chair three panels in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. It will get the chairmanship of one of the "top four" committees, they said.

The sources indicated the Congress may not get to chair the Standing Committee on Home, which comes under the Rajya Sabha. It already has K C Venugopal as the chairperson of the key Public Accounts Committee, they said.

Responding to a question, they said the Congress has not yet communicated the name of the committee in which Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi wants to be.

While a majority of the standing committees come under the Lok Sabha Secretariat, some are serviced by the Rajya Sabha Speaking to reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that there was no delay in constituting standing committees and as per convention, they will be set up by the end of the month.

"First let us understand the rules of the House and conventions. It is not proper to accuse that there is a delay in the formation of parliamentary standing committees," he said in response to questions that opposition leaders have questioned the "delay" in naming the panels.

"If you see all the Lok Sabhas, especially from 2004 onwards, the parliamentary standing committees are always constituted at the end of September or mid-September. That has been the practice," Rijiju said.

He said at a time when the process is going on, some MPs accusing delay in the constitution of standing committees is "not proper".

"We are offering seats to our principal opposition party and other political parties based on their numerical strength. We are asking Congress, the principal opposition party, to take the chairmanship of some of the committees," he said, adding that chairmanship is based on the strength of the party.

"We had a discussion with the Congress and others. I am hoping to constitute the panels very soon. But I request the members not to make it an issue. We are well on time. If we do not constitute (the panels) by September end or the first week of October, then the members certainly have the right to question the delay. But right now, it is not the case," he insisted.

Department-related standing committees deal with various Union ministries and scrutinise their budgetary allocations and bills introduced in Parliament. They also recommend the government to bring bills and make policies on important issues.