The Congress on Monday accused the Modi government of deliberately keeping the Monsoon session of Parliament unprorogued for a record 88 days to give Home Minister Amit Shah time to "manipulate a super-tainted two-thirds majority" in the Lok Sabha to get the "dangerous and destructive" delimitation bills passed.
The opposition party also pointed out that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi four times in the past six months requesting that an all-party meeting on delimitation be convened to discuss all proposals transparently and in detail before introducing any legislation, but the PM has steadfastly refused to do so.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh noted that today is 88 days since Parliament was adjourned sine die and has still not been prorogued.
The Monsoon session was adjourned indefinitely on August 13.
"The 8th edition of the authoritative Practice and Procedure of Parliament popularly known as Kaul and Shakdher published in mid 2024 with a message from the PM himself. Page 192 says that the time-gap between the adjournment of the Lok Sabha sine die and its prorogation is generally two-four days. But in footnote #53 on the same page it states that the maximum gap has been 28 days and that related to the Monsoon Session in 2015," Ramesh pointed out.
However, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju wrote to Kharge on October 19, 2026 stating that the Monsoon Session in 2008 had been kept unprorogued for a record 87 days, he said.
"Why that fails to find mention in Kaul and Shakdher is puzzling. And that 87 days was by consensus of all parties because of the peculiar circumstances then," Ramesh said.
Even so, going by the Union Minister's own reckoning, a new record has been set today, he noted.
"And unlike in the past including in 2008, this record has been set to give time to the Union Home Minister to somehow manipulate a super-tainted two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to get the dangerous and destructive Delimitation Bills passed," Ramesh said.
The unity and solidarity of the Opposition which defeated his diabolical designs convincingly on April 17, 2026 will prevail once again if he repeats his trademark "bulldozer tactics", the Congress leader asserted.
"The Congress president has written to the PM four times in the past six months requesting that an all-party meeting on Delimitation be convened to discuss all proposals transparently and in detail before introducing any legislation. The PM has steadfastly refused to do so," Ramesh said.
Parliament's Monsoon session has remained unprorogued for 88 days since both Houses were adjourned indefinitely on August 13, breaking the previous record of 87 days in 2008.
As of Monday morning, neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha had been formally prorogued, keeping open the possibility of convening an extended sitting of the existing session.
The government's decision not to prorogue (formally end) the Monsoon session has kept alive speculation about the possibility of convening Parliament at short notice to consider the proposed constitutional amendment linked to the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill and involving delimitation.
An extended or special sitting of Parliament within the same session requires a minimum notice of two days, whereas convening a fresh session requires at least 14 days' notice.
This has added significance as a similar Constitution Amendment Bill had failed to secure the required numbers in the Lok Sabha during a special sitting of the Budget session on April 17.
The Constitution does not prescribe any specific time frame within which a House must be prorogued after being adjourned sine die (for an indefinite period).
The mere fact that a House remains unprorogued for an extended period does not, by itself, amount to any constitutional or procedural impropriety.
According to records, Parliament had remained unprorogued for 87 days in 2008, 76 days in 1987, 54 days in 1989, 49 days each in 2006 and 2013, and 41 days in 1963.
In 2008, the Lok Sabha met for two days, July 21 and 22, to discuss the no-confidence motion against the then UPA government. The House was subsequently kept unprorogued, reconvened on October 17 and was adjourned on October 24 to meet again on December 10.
The Congress has in the past stated that the government should prorogue both houses of Parliament and hold an all-party dialogue on the delimitation issue.
During the Budget session on April 17, the Modi government faced a setback as the Constitution amendment bill, involving delimitation, for the implementation of the women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was defeated in the Lower House.
(With inputs from PTI)