Look Hu may address Parliament

New Delhi: The Winter Session of Parliament begins on November 22 amid speculation that Chinese President Hu Jintao may address a joint session of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

There will be a 20-day sitting, which will conclude on December 19.

The winter sitting schedule has been finalised by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA).

Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said on Friday that CCPA would recommend the November 22-December 19 schedule to President APJ Abdul Kalam. There were reports earlier that the Winter Session would begin on November 27.

The advancement of the Winter Session by five days is apparently to facilitate the Chinese leader to address a joint session of Parliament during his State visit in the third week of November.

Official sources indicated that the Manmohan Singh government was in favour of Jintao addressing a joint sitting of Parliament.

However, the Chinese government's assent to the proposal is being awaited.

Reports said Dasmunsi had begun consultations with political parties with regard to the proposal to have Jintao address Parliament.

First such meeting was held with Communist Party of India General Secretary A B Bardhan two days ago.

In fact, the Government wanted US President George Bush to address Parliament during his state visit in January this year, during which the Indo-US Nuclear treaty, seeking to separate civil and nuclear installations for the purpose of international inspection, was signed.

However, the move had to be abandoned apparently to avoid embarrassment to the visiting US President in the context of the announcement by the Left parties, whose outside support is decisive for the survival of the Congress-led UPA Government, that they would boycott any such address.

The Left opposition to the address by Bush was in protest against the "illegal occupation" of Iraq by the US in the aftermath of the fall of erstwhile Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.

There were reports that the Left parties were fully supporting the proposal regarding the address of a joint session of Parliament by Jintao.