New Delhi, Aug. 24:
The Congress has questioned the delay in formally proroguing Parliament after the Monsoon session was adjourned sine die, alleging that the government may be seeking the numbers required to pass a proposed Constitutional amendment linked to delimitation.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh raised the issue on Sunday, asking why the Houses had not yet been formally prorogued despite being adjourned sine die on August 13.
Ramesh said the gap between adjournment and prorogation is generally two to four days, though there have been occasions when both have taken place on the same day.
He pointed out that 10 days had passed since the Lok Sabha was adjourned without any information on its prorogation.
The Congress leader referred to parliamentary procedure relating to prorogation and questioned the reason for what he described as an “abnormal delay”.
Ramesh alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah could be seeking the required two-thirds majority to get a Constitutional Amendment Bill on delimitation passed during a possible special session.
He also cited earlier instances in 2015 and 2021 when longer gaps occurred between adjournment and prorogation, but argued that the circumstances were different on those occasions.
The Congress’s comments come amid a continuing political debate over delimitation and its potential implications for parliamentary representation.