Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding for an all-party assembly on the federal government’s proposed delimitation train and sufficient time for political events and state governments to look at the proposals, a day after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju hinted at the possibility of another sitting of Parliament.
Kharge’s letter, which adopted his earlier letter to PM Modi on July 16, got here after Kiren Rijiju, in an unique interview with India At present Managing Editor Preeti Choudhry aired on Wednesday night time, indicated that another sitting of Parliament could be possible with out instantly confirming whether or not the federal government was contemplating a particular session.
In his newest letter, Kharge stated he was reiterating his earlier request after the Parliamentary Affairs Minister “publicly said in a tv interview final night time that such a particular session of Parliament might effectively be convened”. He additionally linked the chance to the continued delay in formally proroguing the Monsoon Session.
“I had final written to you on July 16, 2026 requesting you to convene an All-Celebration assembly for discussing the Authorities’s proposals for delimitation. I had additionally requested you to offer all political events sufficient time to check such proposals intimately earlier than they’re launched in any particular session of Parliament that you could be be considering,” Kharge stated within the letter.
Kharge urged PM Modi to convene an all-party assembly to debate the delimitation proposals and provides political events and state governments sufficient time to check them. “This is a matter that has monumental significance for the nation. Please don’t once more try to bulldoze as you tried on April 16 and 17, 2026,” he stated.
Rijiju, throughout his interview, was requested whether or not the federal government might name one other sitting or a particular session of Parliament. Whereas he declined to offer a direct reply, he pointed to parliamentary precedents that would enable the Home to satisfy once more.
“It’s as much as the federal government. Every time Parliament is to be referred to as, it’s the authorities which decides and requests the President to name the session. When the Home shouldn’t be prorogued, then the session might be referred to as,” Rijiju stated.
Requested if this meant a particular session may very well be on the playing cards, Rijiju replied, “No, that I can’t reply.” When Choudhry urged that his remarks may very well be interpreted as leaving open the potential for one other sitting, he stated, “You’ll be able to learn each methods.”
“As a Parliamentary Affairs Minister, I’m all the time open to individuals’s scrutiny and commentary additionally, after which when the time comes…” Rijiju stated, with out elaborating.
Requested particularly whether or not there may very well be one other Parliament session, Rijiju stated, “It’s nothing new which we’re doing.” He cited parliamentary historical past, saying there had been “quite a few events” since 1952 when Parliament was adjourned sine die however not prorogued, following which the session was summoned once more.
The remarks got here amid hypothesis over the federal government’s subsequent transfer after the Monsoon Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die on August 13 with out being formally prorogued.
The delay has prompted questions from the Opposition over whether or not the federal government might use the prevailing session to convey again laws associated to delimitation and girls’s reservation.
The Delimitation Invoice, launched together with the Ladies’s Reservation Invoice underneath the 131st Constitutional Modification, did not safe the required two-thirds majority within the Lok Sabha through the three-day particular session in April.
Rijiju, nevertheless, stopped wanting confirming any authorities plan for one more sitting or a particular session, sustaining that the choice to summon Parliament rests with the federal government.
Moreover, Kharge, in his letter, additionally added that the Congress was “very clear” on three factors: retaining the Lok Sabha’s current energy of 543 seats for one more 25 years, sustaining the present state-wise allocation of seats for a similar interval, and implementing one-third reservation for ladies from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
– Ends
