Parliament may be reconvened, hints Rijiju, brings delimitation bill in focus

NEW DELHI: Keeping the opposition on edge by dropping indications about the possibility of Parliament being reconvened, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a commitment to women for speedy implementation of the women’s reservation law and govt is working in that direction.Citing Rijiju’s comments to India Today, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday shot off a letter to the PM, demanding an all-party meeting to discuss govt’s proposal for delimitation before calling a special session of Parliament, as “indicated” by the union minister.Though Rijiju made no categorical comment about an immediate session to take up the constitutional amendment bill to implement the law from 2029 with a 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats, he said Parliament has been reconvened in the past after a session was not prorogued.The monsoon session, which ended on Aug 13, has not been prorogued yet. “Already, the PM has made a clear-cut commitment to women of the nation that women’s reservation and the commitment given by Parliament to women will be implemented. Based on that, we are working,” Rijiju said.The Congress president said Rijiju’s comment ties in with the delay in the prorogation of the monsoon session of Parliament.“This is an issue that has enormous significance for the country. Please do not again try and bulldoze things as you attempted on April 16-17, 2026,” Kharge wrote to Modi. The April 16-17 reference is to the discussion and voting on the bill in Lok Sabha in which the Opposition voted down govt’s proposed legislation.Kharge told the PM that his party is clear that the current strength of the Lok Sabha (543 MPs) and the respective share of the states in it should be frozen for 25 years. Congress also wants that women’s reservation should be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections as per Parliament’s existing strength.The Congress president reminded the Prime Minister that he had also written to him on July 16 seeking an all-party meeting to discuss govt’s proposals for delimitation and that the parties be given enough time to study them before they are introduced in Parliament.The leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha told Modi that before calling the special session, he should call an all-party meeting and give political parties and state govts adequate time to study the proposals.In his Independence Day address to the nation, Modi had said, “I pray to and urge all political parties to come forward and acknowledge the power of women. Let’s step forward to uphold their dignity and ensure that our mothers and sisters get 33% representation in assemblies and Lok Sabha as soon as possible.”Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.