US President Barack Obama will is expected to address a joint session of both Houses of Parliament during his November visit to India. According to top sources in the Lok Sabha, the Winter Session of Parliament?which is normally scheduled for the second or third week of November and continues till the third week of December?has been brought forward to November 7 in order to facilitate this event.
?According to a tentative schedule available with us, President Obama?s visit has been scheduled for November 8 and 9. The address to Parliament will be most probably on November 9,? said the source. Minister for parliamentary affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal confirmed the news, saying, ?no doubt when important visitors from friendly countries visit, some changes can be made, but it is the Speaker?s prerogative to take a final call,? he said.
Despite the warmth of Indo-US ties during US president George W Bush?s tenure, he could not address a joint session of Parliament, as the Left parties?then allies to the UPA government?had threatened to boycott the address. The last US President to address a joint session of the Indian Parliament, was yet another Democrat, President William Jefferson Clinton, in 2000.
President Obama will be giving IT hub Bangalore a miss during his visit?a significant omission considering the latest levy laws passed by the US senate. He is expected to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and Mumbai.