Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the delay in proroguing the monsoon session of Parliament and urging him to hold an all-party meeting on the proposed delimitation bill, raises both procedural and substantive issues regarding the functioning of Parliament and the government. The monsoon session was adjourned sine die on August 13. Conventionally, a session is prorogued within a few days of its adjournment. But parliament is technically in session even 70 days after it was adjourned. Prorogation formally ends a session and terminates pending business. Leaving the Houses in a state of suspension goes against parliamentary norms and raises questions about the government’s intentions. The move impacts the functioning of parliament and amounts to its disrespect.

The delay in prorogation comes amid speculation that the government plans to convene a session at short notice to introduce legislation on the delimitation of constituencies. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government’s attempt to pass the bill had failed in April. Any move to reintroduce legislation involving a constitutional amendment without providing sufficient notice to the members defies parliamentary conventions. In the past, the government has hurriedly introduced bills and passed them due to its majority in the House. But a two-thirds majority is required for the passage of a constitutional amendment. The government is reportedly lobbying for support for the delimitation legislation among parties which opposed it in April. A sizeable section of the Trinamool Congress, which had voted against the bill, is now supporting the BJP.

The proposed bill has far-reaching consequences and will alter India’s political and parliamentary map in the coming decades. It will tilt the balance of political power among different states and regions and Centre-state relations. Such legislation should not be hurried through in a special session and requires extensive debate. Kharge has called for an all-party meeting to discuss the bill. He made a similar proposal to the Prime Minister on April 11, but the government called a special session and introduced the bill on April 16. He wrote letters to the Prime Minister again, on July 16 and August 27, without receiving a response. The government appears to be building up for an ambush with the bill, and keeping the House adjourned may serve this problematic agenda. Democracy is not about back-room deals, machinations, and mala fide number games, but about the widest consultation, participation, and good faith. (Source: DH)