Centre calls all-party meet day before Parliament's special session
The Centre has scheduled an all-party meeting on Sunday, a day before the special session of Parliament commences. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi posted on X, "Ahead of the parliament session from the 18th of this month, an all-party floor leaders meeting has been convened on the 17th at 4.30 PM. The invitation for the same has been sent to concerned leaders through email. Letter to follow."
Why does this story matter?
The opposition has criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for not revealing the agenda of the session, scheduled from September 18 to 22. The government has also said that the session won't have Question Hour or Zero Hour, and no private member bills will be allowed. It remains to be seen whether speculations about the government's plans to permanently rename the country "Bharat" and erase "India" in this session are true.
Opposition demands transparency on session's agenda
Slamming the government for its lack of transparency on the special session's agenda, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien and Congress stalwart Jairam Ramesh said "only two people" know the agenda, hinting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said to be second-in-command. Before the BJP government, the Question Hour was scrapped only under extreme circumstances such as the 1962 Indo-China War and the Emergency. The government has done away with it twice since 2017.
Special session clashes with Ganesh Chaturthi
The session will reportedly begin in the old Parliament building and move to the new building on the second day, coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi, considered auspicious for new beginnings. Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "This special session called during India's most important festival of Ganesh Chaturthi... goes against Hindu sentiments!" Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Supriya Sule also demanded that the session be rescheduled. Notably, Ganesh Chaturthi is considered the most prominent festival in Maharashtra.
Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Modi questioning session's agenda
Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Modi asking for the session's agenda, adding that the session was "convened without any consultation with other political parties." Meanwhile, former Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary said calling a special session without divulging the agenda was improper, LiveLaw reported.
