New Delhi: The government has convened a special session on Ganesh Chaturthi to shift parliamentary operations to the new Parliament building which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.
Final touches are being given to the new Parliament building to make it ready to host sessions.
The move was criticised by Shiv Sena (UBT) with its Priyanka Chaturvedi calling it unfortunate and against Hindu sentiments.
She said on 'X' that the special session called during "India’s most important festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is unfortunate and goes against the Hindu sentiments. Surprised at their choice of dates."
The special session of Parliament will run for five days between September 18 and 22, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Thursday.
"Special Session of Parliament (13th Session of 17th Lok Sabha and 261st Session of Rajya Sabha) is being called from 18th to 22nd September having five sittings. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament," Joshi said on X.
Generally, three parliamentary sessions are held in a year- Budget, Monsoon and Winter sessions.
Agenda of the Special Session of Parliament
With the government not spelling out its agenda, speculation swirled about some showpiece bills being considered for passage by the Modi dispensation in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
The recent historic success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and India's goals for 'Amrit Kaal' may be part of the wider discussions during the special session.
Besides, the Parliament is expected to discuss the G20 Summit and other achievements by the country as well.
Incidentally, the special session is being convened a day after the birthday of Modi. The BJP observes the 16-day period from Modi's birthday to Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 as 'sewa pakhwara' during which various programmes are held across the country.
History of Special Sessions of Parliament in India
Last time, Parliament met outside its three usual sessions was at midnight on June 30, 2017, to mark the rollout of GST. However, it was a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and was not a proper session as is the case this time with both the Houses assembling.
A six-day special sitting was held in August 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of India's independence.
Midnight sessions were also held on August 9, 1992, for the 50th anniversary of 'Quit India Movement', and August 14-15, 1972 to celebrate the silver jubilee of India's independence, while the first such session was on August 14-15, 1947 on the eve of India's independence.
The Monsoon session of Parliament ended on August 11.
/newsdrum-in/media/agency_attachments/ipXwqL5g8EOqSkmkiZUK.png)
/newsdrum-in/media/member_avatars/3ftBLUmSHOvuDvCrVRLw.jpg )
Follow Us/newsdrum-in/media/media_files/LrzZIMPKpvQciBRSKH8U.jpg)