Kharge Writes to PM Modi Over Monsoon Session Delay and Delimitation Plans

Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising questions about the unprecedented delay in formally ending the monsoon session. The monsoon session ended indefinitely on August 13, and 64 days have passed without the formal prorogation of both houses of Parliament. According to Dainik Bhaskar, this is the longest period the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have remained without prorogation since 1989, when both houses stayed in a similar state for 63 days.

Delimitation and Bills

In his letter, Kharge demanded an all-party meeting to discuss new delimitation proposals before they are finalized in Parliament. He warned the Prime Minister not to force the passage of any constitutional amendment bills. The central government may call a special session of Parliament this month to pass the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill, the Delimitation Amendment Bill, and the Union Territories Law Amendment Bill to implement women's reservation. A similar special effort in April failed when the government fell short of the required two-thirds majority, securing 298 votes out of 528 participating MPs, which was 54 votes short of the required 352.

Numbers and Alliances

To pass the legislation, the Lok Sabha needs 360 votes for a two-thirds majority out of 543 seats with three vacancies, where the NDA holds 318 seats. The government is currently in talks with DMK, which has separated from the Congress and the INDIA bloc following the Tamil Nadu elections, alongside reaching out to smaller parties to strengthen its numbers. In the Rajya Sabha, out of 240 active seats from a total of 245, the NDA holds 153 seats and requires 162 to pass the bill, needing support from nine MPs of smaller parties. Congress General Secretary Jairam Communications shared Kharge's letter on social media, highlighting concerns over the Modi government's potential plans.

Context

Prorogation formally ends a session of Parliament after it has been adjourned indefinitely, and delays in this process are rare in the Indian legislative calendar. Delimitation involves redrawing the boundaries of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies based on population changes, which directly impacts seat sharing and political representation across states.