Special session of Parliament begins today: New building, 4 bills and more

The five-day long special session of Parliament will commence on Monday, September 18 with eyes fixed on the central government’s next move.

The tentative list of the agenda for the special session includes four bills, but the highly debated ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill was not included in the line-up.

FOUR BILLS ON TENTATIVE LIST
Despite the absence of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill from the list, four important bills were listed for consideration and passing in the Houses. These include the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023; the Post Office Bill, 2023 and the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.

Of these four, the first two were passed in the Rajya Sabha on August 3. They will be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha during the special session.

The other two will be discussed in the Rajya Sabha.

Apart from the formal parliamentary business, a discussion will also be held on Monday on ‘Parliamentary Journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha – Achievements, Experiences, Memories and Learnings’, as per the government’s notice.

On the first day of the five-day special sitting, Lok Sabha MPs from the BJP, Sunil Kumar Singh and Ganesh Singh will present the sixth report of the Committee of Privileges.

BUZZ OF OTHER LEGISLATION
Two issues which were rumoured to be taken up in the special session of Parliament include the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill and a potential resolution to rename India as Bharat. These issues have been a point of contention between the opposition parties and the central government for several weeks now.

The idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’ refers to holding simultaneous elections across the country. This means that elections for the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies across India will be held simultaneously — with voting presumably taking place around the same time.

The issue of renaming India as Bharat is not a new one. However, it gained traction after the Opposition bloc named its grouping as INDIA – an acronym for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

An official dinner invitation to G20 delegates from the Rashtrapati Bhavan identified President Droupadi Murmu as ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the usual inscription of ‘President of India’.

Another bill that might be taken up for discussion is the Women’s Reservation Bill as Congress party leaders gear up to push for it during the special session. At an all-party meeting held on Sunday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said all opposition parties demanded the passage of the bill in this Parliament session.

The bill seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

SHIFT TO NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING
The parliamentary proceedings will begin as usual in the old building on September 18. However, from September 19, on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the operations will shift to the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 this year.

Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar hoisted the national flag at the new Parliament building on Sunday, the eve of the special session.

With a new building and the commencement of a special session also comes new uniforms for Parliament staff of both Houses. These include chamber attendants, officers, security personnel, drivers and marshals who will all be seen in new uniforms during the special session.

The Congress party slammed the new dress code with a floral motif for a section of staff and called it a “cheap” tactic to promote the saffron party’s poll symbol – the lotus flower.

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, announced the special session of Parliament on August 31. While announcing the session, he did not spell out any specific agenda for it and only said, “Amid Amrit Kaal, looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament.