SIVAGANGAI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday alleged that the centre’s decision to convene both Houses of Parliament on April 16, 17 and 18, in the middle of the election season in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, is a “calculated conspiracy” to keep opposition MPs away from key constitutional debates.
Addressing reporters in Karaikudi, Chidambaram said the timing has sparked serious concerns amid reports from Delhi that the union government may move to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 seats and also bring in a Bill on delimitation.
He said neither issue had been mentioned in the March 26 communication sent by the centre to the Congress leadership regarding the proposed session.
According to him, the Congress had responded the same day, urging the government to first convene an all-party meeting and clarify the purpose of the session and the nature of the business proposed to be taken up. “Instead of consultation, the government has chosen dates when MPs from poll-bound states will be fully occupied with election work,” the former union finance minister alleged.
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu has 39 Lok Sabha members and West Bengal 30 members belonging largely to parties opposed to the BJP, Chidambaram said as many as 69 opposition MPs could effectively be kept out of the House if the session goes ahead as scheduled.
He said any move to increase Lok Sabha seats or alter the delimitation framework would require a constitutional amendment, which needs a two-thirds special majority in both Houses. “If all opposition members are present and vote, such amendments will not pass easily. The government knows the arithmetic,” he said.