Days after it was announced that a Special Parliamentary Session would be conducted from 18th September to 22nd September, former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out that no agenda has been given for the special session.
This comes a day after a dinner invitation was sent out to all G20 members by the President in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of ‘President of India’. The controversy was further fuelled after BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra shared a note on PM Modi’s visit to Indonesia where he was referred to as the ‘Prime Minister of Bharat’ instead of India.
“I must point out that this special session has been convened without any consultation with other political parties. None of us have any idea of its agenda. All we have been communicated is that all five days have been allocated for government business,” Sonia Gandhi said in her letter today.
There are claims that the government may put forward a resolution to change the name of the country from India to Bharat, which has been the historic and ancient name given to our country from time immemorial. There are also claims that the government during this special session may put forward bills for ‘One Nation One Election’ and ‘Uniform Civil Code’, which has been in the talks for a long time with even provisional drafts prepared for it. However, since no agenda has been given for the special session, it can only be speculated as to what is going to happen during the session. This is also the reason why there are so many rumours flying around as to what might happen.
Sonia Gandhi also urged the Prime Minister to have discussions on the Centre-State relationship, communalism and border conflict with China during the special session. “I earnestly hope that in a spirit of constructive cooperation, these issues will be taken up in the forthcoming special session,” she said.
Sonia Gandhi in her letter also listed a few issues such as:
1. Current economic situation with focus on increasing price rise of essential commodities, growing unemployment, rise in inequalities and distress of MSMEs.
2. Commitment made by the Government of India to farmers and farmer organisations in regard to MSP and other demands raised by them.
3. Demand for a JPC to investigate the transactions of the Adani business group in light of all revelations.
4. The continued agony faced by people of Manipur and breakdown of Constitutional machinery and social harmony in the State.
5. Rise in communal tension in different States like Haryana.
6. Continued occupation of Indian Territory by China and challenges to our sovereignty on our borders in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
7. Urgent need for a Caste Census.
8. Damages being inflicted on Centre-State relations.
9. Impact of natural disasters caused by extreme floods in some States and drought in others.
She also alleged that the special session has been convened without any consultation with other political parties, but noted that the session “will give us an opportunity to raise matters of public concern and importance”. “I earnestly hope that in a spirit of constructive cooperation, these issues will be taken up in the forthcoming Special Session,” the letter stated.
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