New Delhi: The government on Friday called a special session of Parliament from September 18 and 22, setting of speculation on its purpose. The special session is likely to be held in the new Parliament building that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May this year.
“Special Session of Parliament (13th Session of 17th Lok Sabha and 261st Session of Rajya Sabha) is being called from 18th to 22nd September, having five sittings. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament,” said parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday in a tweet, as he shared a picture of both the old and new buildings of Parliament well lit up.
With the government not spelling out its agenda, speculation swirled that the government may push some showpiece Bills in the run-up to some five state Assembly polls followed by the all-important Lok Sabha elections.
Sources, including in the ruling BJP, spoke of the possibility of Bills on simultaneous general, state and local polls, something that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assiduously pushed for, and reservation for women in directly-elected bodies like the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Both are constitutional amendment Bills and would require passage with the support of two-third members in both Houses.
The historic success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and India's goals for 'Amrit Kaal' may be part of the wider discussions. It is also expected that the government will brief the legislators about the outcome of the G-20 summit which would be held on September 9 and 10.
The Congress said this was another tactic by the government to distract the public from major issues and grab news share while the Shiv Sena questioned the timing of the special session as it collides with the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, that falls on September 18-19.
“Managing the News Cycle, Modi style. 1. News today has been dominated by the latest revelations on the Modani-scam. 2. Tomorrow the ever-growing INDIA parties meet in Mumbai. How to counter? Announce a 5-day special session of Parliament when the Monsoon Session has just ended 3 weeks back. Regardless, the JPC demand will continue to resonate inside and outside Parliament,” said Congress MP in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh.
“Thank you for calling the session on 18th September. The Adani Mega Scam is the largest corruption scandal in Indian history. Who are Chang Chung-Ling and Nasser Ali Shabhan, who ended up controlling 13% of Adani shares through offshore operations from Mauritius? Question remains,” wrote Manickam Tagore on X, earlier known as Twitter.
“This special session called during India’s most important festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is unfortunate and goes against Hindu sentiments. Surprised at their choice of dates!,” said Priyanka Chaturvedi.
