Congress asks why Parliament session not prorogued, links delay to delimitation push
Congress questions the 25-day delay in proroguing Parliament's Monsoon Session, linking it to the government's efforts to pass delimitation bills.
The Congress on Monday questioned why Parliament's Monsoon Session has not been prorogued even 25 days after it was adjourned sine die, suggesting the delay is linked to the government's efforts to secure a two-thirds majority for its delimitation bills.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted in a post on X that prorogation typically follows an adjournment sine die within three to four days. He pointed to a similar instance in 2015, when the gap stretched to 28 days during a session largely disrupted by the Lalit Modi controversy. On that occasion, the government had kept the session alive while attempting to push through GST Bills, which required a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha that it did not possess.
Mr. Ramesh said the government was eventually compelled to engage more constructively with the Opposition and pass those bills at a later date. Drawing a parallel to the current situation, he alleged that the 2026 Monsoon Session has been kept on a "ventilator" because the Home Minister is still seeking a "super-tainted" two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to get the Delimitation Bills passed.
He asked how much longer it would take for the government to accept that its "politics of threats and intimidation" has reached its limit. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on August 13.
The remarks come months after the government suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha on April 17, when a Constitution Amendment Bill related to delimitation — intended to implement women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies — was defeated. Of the 528 MPs who voted, 298 supported the measure while 230 opposed it, falling short of the 352 votes required for a two-thirds majority.