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Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of deliberately delaying the conclusion of Parliaments Monsoon Session, saying the gap between the indefinite adjournment of the House and the formal end of the session has now stretched to 29 days.
Ramesh said the government had surpassed its previous record of 28 days, set during the 2015 Monsoon Session. He claimed that the gap in the 2026 Monsoon Session was continuing to increase, with no clear indication of when the session would formally conclude. So today, the Modi government has smashed its own record from 2015 and set a new one, Ramesh said, referring to the 29-day gap. He added that normally the gap between the two events was only around three or four days. The Congress leader launched a sharp attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that the government was keeping the session open as part of a political strategy linked to a Constitution Amendment Bill. Ramesh claimed that Shah was seeking to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the proposed amendment and alleged that the government was attempting to change the position of parties who had earlier opposed the legislation. According to Ramesh, the government does not have the numbers required for the move. He alleged that the ruling side was using threats, intimidation, and temptations in an attempt to persuade others to change their stance. "He's already sown discord in the three parties that voted against the bill on April 17, 2026, and he's using threats, intimidation, and temptations to flip the stance of others who voted against it. The Union Home Minister doesn't have the numbers he needs, but his bluster, bluffing, and big talk won't let him accept the plain reality staring him in the face," Ramesh added. Ramesh also took a dig at Shah by referring to him as the self-proclaimed Chanakya. He alleged that keeping Parliaments Monsoon Session open was being used as a psychological tactic against the Opposition. He argued that the government could summon Parliament again whenever it wanted and for whatever purpose it considered necessary, and therefore questioned the rationale behind prolonging the gap between the indefinite adjournment and the formal conclusion of the session. "The government can summon a session of Parliament whenever it wants and for whatever purpose it chooses. He's just manufacturing suspense in the hope that it'll rattle the opposition. He can keep living in that delusion," he added. The Congress MP also questioned the governments approach to delimitation, asking why it had not convened an all-party meeting to discuss its proposals and work towards a broader political consensus. Ramesh said Opposition parties had been consistently demanding such a meeting since mid-March 2026. He questioned what he described as secrecy surrounding the delimitation proposals, arguing that the issue was important to the functioning and foundations of the Indian Republic. Why is the Modi government refusing to call an all-party meeting to discuss its delimitation proposals and build the broadest possible consensuswhen thats exactly what the country needs? Ramesh asked. (ANI)
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