Congress calls special parl session an electoral move

The Congress has raised strong objections to the Centre’s decision to convene a special session of Parliament from April 16 to 18, alleging that it amounts to a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and is intended to influence voters in the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal scheduled later this month. The party described the move as politically driven and termed the proposed sitting an “electoral session”.

At a press conference, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the government had acted unilaterally in announcing the session despite opposition parties urging that any such meeting be held after April 29, once the election process in five states is completed. He noted that most opposition parties are currently engaged in campaigning and had collectively conveyed their preference for a post-election all-party consultation. Ramesh revealed that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister had written to the Congress leadership seeking discussions on proposed constitutional amendments linked to the Women’s Reservation Bill. In response, the Congress suggested convening an all-party meeting instead of holding separate discussions with individual parties.

This position was reiterated in subsequent correspondence, with the party maintaining that broader consultation was necessary on such significant legislative matters. Despite these communications, the government proceeded to call the special session during a peak election period, the Congress said, questioning the urgency of the move. The party pointed out that the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023 and argued that its implementation could have been advanced earlier, including for the 2024 general elections. It added that the current proposal to implement the measure from 2029 raises questions about the timing and intent, especially when discussions could have been deferred by a few weeks to allow wider participation.