Govt announces dates for Monsoon Session, Congress says it’s ‘running away’ from special session
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Govt announces dates for Monsoon Session, Congress says it’s ‘running away’ from special session
India bloc leaders wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating their call for a special Parliament session to “discuss the developments following the terror attack in Pahalgam” The government virtually ruled this out, announcing that the Monsoon Session will be held from July 21 to August 12. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready to hold discussions on every important matter in the session “as per the rules and conventions’. The Congress said that the fact that the government. was giving out the dates 47 days in advance showed that the Modi government was “running away” from the demand of an immediate special session. “This has been done solely to run away from the. demand being made repeatedly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA parties for an immediate. special session,” said Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X.
While announcing the dates, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready to hold discussions on every important matter in the Monsoon Session “as per the rules and conventions”. “Every session is special to us. We are willing to discuss any important issues,” Rijiju told a group of mediapersons, adding that the Business Advisory Committee of the two Houses will take a call on the issues to be discussed.
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The Indian Express reported Tuesday that the government had no plans to convene a special session. A source in the government said: “The Monsoon Session is entirely for discussions, deliberations and legislation.”
Soon after Rijiju’s announcement, the Congress said that the fact that the government was giving out the dates 47 days in advance showed that the Modi government was “running away” from the demand of an immediate special session.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, said normally the dates for a Parliament session are announced a few days before it commences, but “never have the dates been declared 47 days before a session is due”. “This has been done solely to run away from the demand being made repeatedly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA parties for an immediate special session to discuss the brutal Pahalgam attacks and the failure to bring the terrorists who did the killings themselves to justice, the impacts of Operation Sindoor and its blatant politicisation, the revelations of the CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) in Singapore (over losses suffered by India), the hyphenation of India and Pakistan, the embedding of China in the Pakistan Air Force, the continuous claims of President Trump on mediation, and the numerous failures of our foreign policy and diplomatic engagements.”
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Rijiju said that one of the key issues that would be taken up by Parliament during the 23-day-long Monsoon Session would be the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, who has been indicted by a Supreme Court inquiry panel in a cash discovery row.
On Tuesday, Rijiju reached out to leaders of all major parties to evolve a consensus over the matter. “I will be talking to smaller parties soon. The impeachment of a High Court or Supreme Court judge on a corruption issue cannot be political. The government will take everyone on board as there is no scope of differences on this,” he said.
Rijiju has reportedly also conveyed to Opposition leaders that there should be a “unified stand” on the matter.
The minister said the modalities of the impeachment are being worked out, including signing of notices for it by MPs of different parties. For a motion of impeachment to be taken up, it has to be moved by not less than 100 members in the Lower House, and at least 50 members in the Upper House.
Rijiju said the business of the two Houses will be taken into account to decide whether the Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha will take up the motion first. Once the MPs submit the motion, the presiding officer of the House can either accept or reject it. Given that the government is moving the motion, it is expected to go through.
After the motion is adopted by either House, the Speaker (in the case of the Lok Sabha) / Chairman (in the Rajya Sabha) constitutes a three-member committee of inquiry to probe the judge. The committee’s report is then adopted by the House in which the impeachment motion has been introduced, to discuss the judge’s removal.
In Justice Varma’s case, the government is exploring ways to do away with a committee as a three-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court has already indicted him.
A source confirmed that the government was of this opinion, adding: “The presiding officers can take a call on this.”
In his post, Ramesh said that the government’s plans regarding the Monsoon Session notwithstanding, it will “still be dominated by these (Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor) issues of supreme national importance. The PM has run away from a special session but will have to answer very tough questions six weeks from now”.
Govt announces dates for Monsoon Session, Congress says it’s ‘running away’ from special session
India bloc leaders wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating their call for a special Parliament session to “discuss the developments following the terror attack in Pahalgam” The government virtually ruled this out, announcing that the Monsoon Session will be held from July 21 to August 12. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready to hold discussions on every important matter in the session “as per the rules and conventions’. The Congress said that the fact that the government. was giving out the dates 47 days in advance showed that the Modi government was “running away” from the demand of an immediate special session. “This has been done solely to run away from the. demand being made repeatedly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA parties for an immediate. special session,” said Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X.
While announcing the dates, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready to hold discussions on every important matter in the Monsoon Session “as per the rules and conventions”. “Every session is special to us. We are willing to discuss any important issues,” Rijiju told a group of mediapersons, adding that the Business Advisory Committee of the two Houses will take a call on the issues to be discussed.
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The Indian Express reported Tuesday that the government had no plans to convene a special session. A source in the government said: “The Monsoon Session is entirely for discussions, deliberations and legislation.”
Soon after Rijiju’s announcement, the Congress said that the fact that the government was giving out the dates 47 days in advance showed that the Modi government was “running away” from the demand of an immediate special session.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, said normally the dates for a Parliament session are announced a few days before it commences, but “never have the dates been declared 47 days before a session is due”. “This has been done solely to run away from the demand being made repeatedly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA parties for an immediate special session to discuss the brutal Pahalgam attacks and the failure to bring the terrorists who did the killings themselves to justice, the impacts of Operation Sindoor and its blatant politicisation, the revelations of the CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) in Singapore (over losses suffered by India), the hyphenation of India and Pakistan, the embedding of China in the Pakistan Air Force, the continuous claims of President Trump on mediation, and the numerous failures of our foreign policy and diplomatic engagements.”
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Rijiju said that one of the key issues that would be taken up by Parliament during the 23-day-long Monsoon Session would be the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, who has been indicted by a Supreme Court inquiry panel in a cash discovery row.
On Tuesday, Rijiju reached out to leaders of all major parties to evolve a consensus over the matter. “I will be talking to smaller parties soon. The impeachment of a High Court or Supreme Court judge on a corruption issue cannot be political. The government will take everyone on board as there is no scope of differences on this,” he said.
Rijiju has reportedly also conveyed to Opposition leaders that there should be a “unified stand” on the matter.
The minister said the modalities of the impeachment are being worked out, including signing of notices for it by MPs of different parties. For a motion of impeachment to be taken up, it has to be moved by not less than 100 members in the Lower House, and at least 50 members in the Upper House.
Rijiju said the business of the two Houses will be taken into account to decide whether the Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha will take up the motion first. Once the MPs submit the motion, the presiding officer of the House can either accept or reject it. Given that the government is moving the motion, it is expected to go through.
After the motion is adopted by either House, the Speaker (in the case of the Lok Sabha) / Chairman (in the Rajya Sabha) constitutes a three-member committee of inquiry to probe the judge. The committee’s report is then adopted by the House in which the impeachment motion has been introduced, to discuss the judge’s removal.
In Justice Varma’s case, the government is exploring ways to do away with a committee as a three-member panel appointed by the Supreme Court has already indicted him.
A source confirmed that the government was of this opinion, adding: “The presiding officers can take a call on this.”
In his post, Ramesh said that the government’s plans regarding the Monsoon Session notwithstanding, it will “still be dominated by these (Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor) issues of supreme national importance. The PM has run away from a special session but will have to answer very tough questions six weeks from now”.