New Delhi: The Centre has called an all-party meeting on 17 September ahead of the five-day special session of Parliament beginning the next day, news agency ANI reported quoting sources.
The 18-22 September special session was suddenly announced on 31 August by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Jodhi, who still has not specified an agenda.
On 31 August, Joshi had posted on X: “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.”
The announcement came as a surprise as there are usually three sessions held in a year – the Budget, Monsoon and Winter sittings. The special session was declared barely three weeks after the Monsoon Session ended 11 August.
There is talk that the session may see parliamentary operations being shifted to the new Parliament building which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 May. Final touches are being given to the new complex at the moment.
With a successful showing at last week’s marquee G20 summit in Delhi – which brought down the curtain on India’s presidency – there is speculation that the session might introduce the BJP’s showpiece Bills, as well as discuss the recent success of ISRO’s moon-landing and maiden solar mission.
Meanwhile, the Congress has said it will push for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the allegations against the Adani Group in the upcoming session. In the Monsoon Session, the Opposition had been very vocal about the ethnic clashes in Manipur and had forced a no-confidence vote on the BJP-led ruling alliance.
Congress General Secretary, Communications, Jairam Ramesh said Wednesday that Parliament could “begin its innings in the new building with the announcement of a JPC if the PM truly has nothing to hide”.
He posted on X: “A few days ago a PIL gets filed in the Supreme Court with detailed documentation on SEBI’s failure to properly investigate the Adani MegaScam. Now a former Adani contractor who says he has inside information seeks Supreme Court permission to intervene in the interests of crores of investors. All this makes the case for a JPC even stronger.”
A few days ago a PIL gets filed in the Supreme Court with detailed documentation on SEBI's failure to properly investigate the Adani MegaScam.
Now a former Adani contractor who says he has inside information seeks Supreme Court permission to intervene in the interests of crores… pic.twitter.com/uncHolVZt8
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 13, 2023
Ramesh also questioned why the session’s agenda was not declared yet, posting a list of previous special sittings, when the “list of business was known in advance”.
Today is September 13th. The five-day Special Session of Parliament will commence five days from now and nobody—barring One Man(ok, perhaps the Other One too)—has any sense of the agenda. On every previous occasion, when Special Sessions or Special Sittings were held, the list of…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 13, 2023
Also read: Denounce mahatvakanksha, matbhed & manbhed – AAP’s success formula for INDIA bloc