NEW DELHI: A sharp verbal clash broke out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday as the Congress and the government sparred over the adjournment of the Budget Session and the timing of a proposed women’s reservation bill.
Later, it was announced that Parliament would reconvene on April 16 for two to three days. The agenda includes bills to raise the Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 816 and measures to operationalise the women’s reservation law.
The government has also held back-channel talks with the Opposition on bringing bills to implement the quota and delink delimitation from the Census.
The confrontation began after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the House would be adjourned and reconvened in two to three weeks to take up a “very important” bill on women’s reservation. “We have certain Bills and certain important issues which we have shared with our members from the Opposition parties also.
We are going to have a very important Bill in the next two to three weeks’ time. So today, the government would propose that the House be adjourned, and we will meet very soon for a very specific period…for the purpose of the session…is already known to the members,” he said.
Seeking clarity, Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh asked, “Is the House going to be adjourned today? Are we meeting tomorrow? Is it being adjourned sine die? Is it being adjourned till a later date to be notified? Please clarify. What is the intention of the Government?”
The announcement triggered sharp exchanges. Defending the move, Rijiju said, “For us, this has nothing to do with a specific state election…We have to take it forward because we face certain limitations when looking at the time scale…The principal Opposition party has written to us requesting that we convene the meeting after April 29.
We have noted down. But the problem is, the government is bound by the timeline, which is its limitation. We have a general election coming in 2029. Today, we are in April 2026… Let us not go into the dates, but please cooperate with the government.”
The Congress accused the government of seeking political mileage ahead of assembly elections and flagged a possible violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said he had twice asked for an all-party meeting after April 29 and added, “We are not against women’s reservation.
We are the first ones to bring that. It has become unanimous with our support only. These people take credit whenever they want. Everybody agrees…but at what time, how to bring it, how to do it…stop your games. If you had to do it, why didn’t you bring it at the beginning of this session?
We discussed rural development for three days. Could we not have discussed this? You call after the election, we will all cooperate… don’t take credit before the election.”
Leader of the House JP Nadda, responded to Kharge, blaming the Congress government for delaying women quota in legislatures for 30 years. “You were not able to pass it in 30 years. We have already taken credit for it. You always see everything from the angle of politics, not humanity…,” he said.
Rijiju defends move
Defending the move, Rijiju said, “For us, this has nothing to do with a specific state election…We have to take it forward because we face certain limitations when looking at the time scale…The principal Opposition party has written to us requesting that we convene the meeting after April 29. We have noted down.