Opposition questions central government over delay in announcing winter session

Confusion and suspicion have grown among opposition parties due to the delay by the central government in announcing the upcoming winter session of Parliament and in completing the process of proroguing the monsoon session. According to a Hindustan Times report, 91 days have passed since both houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on August 13, yet no official notification has been issued by the government.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has leveled serious allegations against the central government. He stated that the government is deliberately delaying the prorogation of the monsoon session to secure the necessary two-thirds majority to pass proposed constitutional amendments. Ramesh wrote on the social media platform X, "This record (of not proroguing the House) has been created to give the Union Home Minister time to somehow procure a tainted two-thirds majority to pass dangerous and destructive delimitation bills in the Lok Sabha."

Ramesh claimed that the Congress president had written to the Prime Minister four times in the last six months requesting an all-party meeting to transparently discuss delimitation before introducing any law, but the Prime Minister has clearly refused.

Due to this delay, there is speculation that the government might extend the monsoon session for a few days to quickly pass the Delimitation Bill and the Constitution Amendment Bill. Summons from the President are required for a new winter session, and MPs are typically given two weeks' notice. However, the government can extend the current monsoon session on short notice without new presidential summons. With 12 days of November already gone, the government has little time if it wishes to convene a new winter session.

According to sources, the central government is working on a plan to pass the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill. This bill proposes to increase the number of members in the Lok Sabha from 543 to a maximum of 850, which is a prerequisite for implementing 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. Passing this bill requires 360 votes or a two-thirds majority. Currently, 3 seats are vacant in the 543-member Lok Sabha. A person knowledgeable about the government stated that the government has contacted several parties and is confident that the necessary votes to pass the bill will be obtained this time, though details of which parties were contacted were not provided.

It is not yet clear whether the government will bring this bill in the winter session or call a separate special session for it. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers on November 18. This meeting will discuss an outreach plan to celebrate the achievements and important milestones of the last 12 years.

Looking at data from the last five years, the government announced the winter session after November 15 only once, in 2022. At that time, the date was announced on November 18, and the session ran from December 7 to December 29. Last year, the announcement was made on November 8, and the session, which began on December 1, was adjourned on December 19.