Magazine column: National Scenario
Mohini Sengar
The Monsoon Session of Parliament may have formally ended with both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha being adjourned sine die on August 13, but technically, it is still not over. As of August 30, both Houses have not been prorogued. In other words, even after 17 days, the Monsoon Session remains technically open. This unusual situation has now become a subject of political discussion.
The biggest question arising from this pause is what the agenda will be when Parliament’s bells ring again. The law providing reservation for women has already been passed by Parliament in 2023, but its implementation is linked to delimitation. The government’s proposal in April sought to accelerate this process by opening the way for delimitation and 33 per cent reservation for women without waiting for the 2027 Census.
That very proposal had stalled for the ruling side in April. If Parliament holds a special sitting in September, the issue at its centre may not simply be reservation for women, but the next political map of the Lok Sabha as well. The government will once again face the crucial test of securing the two-thirds majority it fell short of in April, while the Opposition will have to answer how it can support women’s reservation while opposing the delimitation process and the possible changes in the representation of states.
The delay is also giving the Opposition an opportunity to ask why the Monsoon Session has not been formally brought to an end when its business has already been completed. This is significant because without proroguing Parliament, the government retains the option of reconvening the same session. In parliamentary procedure, ‘adjournment sine die’ and ‘prorogation’ are not the same thing. Once the business of a session is over, both Houses are adjourned sine die. The President then formally prorogues the session on the advice of the Union government. Normally, this process is completed within a few days.
For now, the government has made no final announcement regarding reconvening Parliament.
The doors of Parliament may be closed for now, but the next door in the political debate remains wide open. All eyes are now on when the seal of prorogation is put in place- and if it is not, what issue will make the House bells ring the next time.
