‘No proposal to extend Parliament session’: Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju

Rijiju said there is no proposal to extend the monsoon session or convene a special sitting, as talks with the Opposition failed to break the deadlock.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said there was no proposal to extend the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament or convene a special session between August 16 and 18 to take up bills implementing women’s reservation or delimitation.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi (Sansad TV)

His comments came on a day he met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to end the logjam in both Houses. Gandhi, however, stuck to his demand for a statement from Union home minister Amit Shah on the use of force against protesting students on July 20 and a discussion on the Ram Temple donation theft, people aware of the details said.

“There is no proposal to extend any dates of the Parliament session. There is no special session to be held from August 16 to 18 on the women’s reservation and delimitation bills,” Rijiju said.

Govt rules out special sitting

In April this year, the constitution amendment bill to increase the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats from 550 to 850 and link the women’s quota with the last published census failed to garner the required two-thirds majority.

At the time, the bill got 298 votes in favour and 230 against. Since then, 20 out of 28 Trinamool Congress lawmakers have said they’ll support the National Democratic Alliance and six of nine Shiv Sena (UBT) lawmakers have joined the Shiv Sena. But the Opposition still has more than the 181 votes required to deny the bill passage.

The Congress remains adamant that the women quota should be carved out of the current 543 Lok Sabha seats, at least three party leaders told HT.

A leader of an NDA partner said they were told about the possibility of extending the monsoon session. The leader said they were given to understand that the House could reconvene after a gap following the Independence Day celebrations to discuss the delimitation bill. “The government did not have a formal discussion with us on this…but we learnt that some lawmakers were asked to remain in Delhi after August 15 ” said the leader.

The leader said the allies were already on board to support both the delimitation and the FCRA bills and would, therefore, have no objection to an extended or special session.

Rijiju, Rahul meet to break deadlock

On Wednesday, Rijiju and Gandhi met for 40 minutes, in the presence of Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rijiju had also met Gandhi last week.

“The focus of the meeting was how to end the logjam. Gandhi told Rijiju that the Union home minister must come to the House and make a statement on the violence against students. He also demanded a debate on the donation theft in Ayodhya. Gandhi also told Rijiju that he will talk to his allies and get back to him,” said a second Congress leader, requesting anonymity.

Congress sticks to key demands

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said Rijiju came with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda. “We had stated earlier that we wanted a discussion on the chanda chori issue because the entire nation is concerned about it. Therefore, there should be a proper discussion on that matter. From the very beginning, we have been demanding a statement from the home minister of the country, who is responsible for the daily firing and atrocities against students…They want to bulldoze everything. They want to pass separate legislation, which we cannot agree with at all. That is what happened today,” he said.

According to a person privy to the details, the minister sought the Opposition’s cooperation in the passage of key bills but Gandhi said that his party would not budge from its demand for a statement from Shah.

A senior Congress strategist from the Rajya Sabha told HT that the party was opposed to any new delimitation bill. “Our stand is clear. The women reservation should be carved out from the existing Lok Sabha,” he said.

The government said the meeting was not on specific demands.

“It was a courtesy meeting and the leaders had a good discussion… it was not on specific issues…” a second person privy to the details said.