For weeks now, news channels have been hypothesising and opposition parties have been questioning what the agenda for the special session of the Parliament is. The Modi government has been tightlipped, allowing the speculations to grow. Reliable sources have confirmed to TNM that the session has been convened only to hold it at an auspicious time and no significant Bill will be tabled.
In view of the opacity surrounding the Parliament session, news channels had broadcast reports that landmark bills like the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), One Nation One Election or the Women's Reservation Bill could be tabled. The Opposition has been demanding that the agenda of business be informed to the Members of Parliament and accused that even in the all-party meeting held on September 17, a day before the beginning of the session, no clarity was given. The government has denied these allegations and said that parliamentarians have been informed.
But the real reason for a special session has little to do with governance and is more symbolic in nature. Sources close to the PMO said that PM Narendra Modi wanted the new Parliament building to be inaugurated in a grand ceremony before the G20 summit that was recently held in Delhi. So it was inaugurated at the auspicious timing given to the PM on May 28. But the Parliament building was not completely ready for the session to be held at the time.
Owing to technical glitches and because the PMO was waiting for an auspicious time, holding the first session in the new building was delayed. The Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi was seen as the right time to enter the new building and that became the reason for the special session. Tabling significant bills including the UCC and One Nation One Election is untenable as the consultation process for the two laws is currently underway. And the Modi government does not intend on tabling the Women’s Reservation Bill because there is resistance for it from within the BJP. Also, the government doesn’t want to push forward with the bill at this time as the credit for it will go to Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s K Kavitha and the BJP will achieve no political gains.
The special session will focus on the success of 75 years of Indian Parliament, G20 summit, ISRO’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, as well as ‘Amrit Kaal’, the Modi government’s theme which means auspicious timing to start new ventures.