Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an all-party meeting on the government’s proposed delimitation exercise. He also called for political parties and state governments to be given sufficient time to study the proposals, a day after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju suggested that Parliament could meet again.
Kharge’s latest letter followed his earlier communication to Modi on July 16. It came after Rijiju, in an exclusive interview with India Today Managing Editor Preeti Choudhry aired on Wednesday night, indicated that another sitting of Parliament could take place, without confirming whether the government was planning a special session.
In his letter, Kharge said he was repeating his earlier demand after the Parliamentary Affairs Minister publicly suggested that a special sitting of Parliament could be convened. He also pointed to the government’s continued delay in formally proroguing the Monsoon Session.
Kharge said he had previously asked Modi to call an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s delimitation proposals and had requested that political parties be given enough time to examine the proposals before they were introduced in any possible special session.
Kharge urged Modi to convene an all-party meeting and allow both political parties and state governments adequate time to assess the delimitation proposals. He stressed that the issue has major implications for the country and accused the government of attempting to push through decisions without sufficient consultation.
Rijiju, meanwhile, was asked in his interview whether the government might call another sitting or a special session of Parliament. Although he avoided giving a direct response, he referred to parliamentary precedents under which the House can meet again if the existing session has not been prorogued.
Rijiju said the decision to summon Parliament rests with the government, which then requests the President to call the session. He noted that Parliament can be summoned again when the House has not been prorogued.
When asked whether this meant a special session was being considered, Rijiju declined to answer directly. When it was suggested that his comments could be interpreted as keeping the possibility open, he responded that they could be read either way.
He also said that, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, he remained open to scrutiny and observations before trailing off without providing further details.
Rijiju later clarified that another sitting of Parliament would not necessarily be unusual. He pointed to several instances since 1952 when Parliament had been adjourned sine die without being prorogued, after which the same session was summoned again.
His comments came amid speculation about the government’s next move following the Monsoon Session, which was adjourned sine die on August 13 but has not yet been formally prorogued.
The delay has led the Opposition to question whether the government could use the existing session to bring back proposed legislation concerning delimitation and women’s reservation.
The Delimitation Bill, introduced alongside the Women’s Reservation Bill through the 131st Constitutional Amendment, failed to obtain the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha during the three-day special session held in April.
Rijiju has not confirmed whether the government intends to call another sitting or a special session, reiterating that the decision to summon Parliament lies with the government.
In his letter, Kharge also outlined three positions that he said were clear for the Congress. The party wants the Lok Sabha’s current strength of 543 seats to remain unchanged for another 25 years, the existing state-wise distribution of seats to be retained for the same period, and one-third reservation for women to be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
