Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha questioned the Centre’s decision to call for a special Parliamentary session and said that there is nothing special about it as normal Bills are being brought in that could have waited till the Winter Session. “This is not a Special Session at all. Some astrologer must have said something and the PM believes in all that…They are bringing normal Bills that could have waited till the Winter Session…Don’t say that you have no agenda. The agenda is very clear. We would like to see what the other agendas are. But there is nothing special about it,” he said while speaking to ANI on Monday.
The five-day special session of Parliament is all set to begin on Monday during which the parliamentary proceedings will shift from the old to the adjacent new state-of-the-art building on September 19. Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Sunday stated that the Session will provide 5 sittings spread over a period of 5 days, besides informing that eight legislative items are likely to be taken up during this session.
“Parliamentary journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – achievements, experiences, memories and learnings” will also be discussed. On Sunday, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar hoisted the national flag atop “Gaja Dwar” of the new Parliament building. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla was also present on the occasion. The Special Session of the Parliament will be held from September 18 to 22.
After weeks of no information about the agenda, the government last week announced an agenda that included bills to be taken up for consideration and a discussion on “Parliamentary journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – achievements, experiences, memories and learnings”. Earlier, on Sunday, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Joshi requested all parties for active cooperation and support for the smooth functioning of the two Houses of Parliament.
The meeting of all the floor leaders of political parties in the Parliament was attended by various ministers including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is also Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Union Minister V Muraleedharan and 51 leaders from 34 parties. Joshi shared with leaders that there would be a photo session from 10.00 am to 10.45 am on September 19, 2023, followed by a function in the Central Hall starting at 11.00 am which will be graced by the Vice-President/Chairman, Rajya Sabha, the Prime Minister, Speaker, Lok Sabha, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Leader of Largest Opposition Party in Lok Sabha and the Members of both the Houses of Parliament.
After the conclusion of the function in the Central Hall, both Houses will meet in their respective Chambers in the New Parliament House. The announcement of the Special Session came as a surprise in political circles with the parties gearing up for assembly polls in five states later this year.
