New Delhi:

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s nine-point letter on the special session of parliament has drawn an acerbic response from the government. Mrs Gandhi is perhaps “not aware of traditions,” wrote parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi, asserting that the government discusses the agenda with the Opposition only after the session begins.

Mrs Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today, amid a political uproar over the buzz on a change of the country’s name to Bharat.

Underscoring that no agenda has been announced for the special session of parliament starting September 18, she listed nine subjects and demanded discussion on them.

The list included Centre-state relationship, communalism, Manipur situation and border conflict with China.

With hours, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister responded.

“The session has been called following tradition. Perhaps you are not paying attention to tradition. Before calling the Parliament session, there is never any discussion with political parties, nor are the issues discussed. After the calling of the session by the President and before commencement of the session, there is a meeting of the leaders of all the parties in which the people rising in the Parliament are discussed. Issues and work are discussed.” the minister wrote.

The suspense over the agenda has triggered speculation on the country’s name change. The trigger was President Droupadi Murmu’s invite to G20 leaders where she has been described as “President of Bharat”. The next day, a document surfaced that saw PM Modi being described a “Prime Minister of Bharat”.

Today a post on X went viral that said Pakistan may lay claim to the name “India”.

“Pakistan may lay claim to the name “India” if India derecongnises it officially at UN level. –local media. Nationalists in Pakistan have long argued that Pakistan has rights to the name as it refers to the Indus region in Pakistan,” read the post shared by South Asia Index’s X handle.

Top sources, however, said the G-20 summit, to be held this weekend, will be the subject of the special session.

New Delhi:

The government has called for a “special session of Parliament” to be held from September 18 to 22, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi posted on X (formerly Twitter), adding, that there will be five sittings. “Amid Amrit Kaal, looking forward to having a fruitful discussion and debate in Parliament,” he said.

Government sources have, so far, been tight-lipped on possible agendas.

There is speculation the special session is being called to begin the process of shifting from the old to the new Parliament building. So, this session may begin in the old and end in the new. 

Also, it may not be a joint session of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Special Session of Parliament (13th Session of 17th Lok Sabha and 261st Session of Rajya Sabha) is being called from 18th to 22nd September having 5 sittings. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to have fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/b3PIRngpOs

— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) August 31, 2023

Government sources have, though, also said the agenda is likely to include Amrit Kaal celebrations and India as a ‘developed nation’. There is no hint of any important bill that will be passed.

The timing of the special session is interesting, though, as it coincides with the mega opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A’s third meeting in Mumbai. The 28-party grouping has declared its intention to bring down the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in next year’s general election.

READ |INDIA Bloc Has Several Choices For PM Post, BJP Has One: Uddhav Thackeray

The special session will also take place amid several major developments, including India having just hosted the G20 Summit in Delhi; this will be in the national capital between September 8 and 10.

In addition, the session will also take place after the Supreme Court was told the government is open to the conduct of elections in Jammu and Kashmir. During the court’s hearing on multiple petitions challenging the government’s scrapping of Article 370 in J&K, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, said the decision on when to hold elections in the former state lay in the hands of central and state poll bodies.

READ | Kapil Sibal, Centre’s Lawyer In Heated Argument During Article 370 Hearing

However, on a timeline for restoration of statehood to J&K – a question posed by the court on Wednesday, Mr Mehta said the government is “unable to give an exact time period for conversion”.

What Was The Last Parliament Session?

The last session of Parliament was the Monsoon Session, which began on July 20 and wrapped up on August 12; 23 bills were passed by the government on that occasion. The session was marked by several protests from the opposition on a number of issues, including the violence in Manipur and ruckus over the contentious Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

Most significantly, the session also witnessed a dramatic, three-day-long debate on a ‘no confidence’ motion introduced by the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi ruling in Telangana.

READ | Monsoon Session Ends: Political Tone Set For 2024, Big Ticket Bills Passed

Several top leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, took on the government, for whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the fightback, setting the tone for the big Lok Sabha battle of 2024.