"Allow Virtual Parliamentary Committees": Trinamool Reiterates Again

Citing the confidentiality clause, the centre has said no to opposition requests in the past.

The Trinamool Congress has written another letter, its third, to both Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla underscoring the need to hold virtual meetings of parliamentary committees as the deadly second wave of the coronavirus sweeping through a wide swathe of the country has been worsening the health crisis. Referred to as mini-Parliament, these Committees hold the government accountable on micro-issues. "India has reported more than 3 lakhs new Covid-19 cases per day for the past two weeks. In light of the prevailing circumstances, I urge your good offices to reconsider our request for conducting virtual meetings of parliamentary committees including departmentally related standing committees, consultative committees and select committees," wrote Trinamool's Derek O'Brien, a Rajya Sabha member, in a letter dated May 7. The earlier two letters were written in July and August last year.