Congress questions delay in proroguing Parliament's Monsoon Session

Congress on Monday questioned the delay in proroguing Parliament’s Monsoon Session, with party general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleging that the government was keeping the session open while seeking the numbers needed to pass the Delimitation Bills. Parliament’s Monsoon Session began on July 20 and was adjourned sine die on August 13 after 19 sittings. Ramesh said 25 days had passed since the adjournment, but Parliament had still not been prorogued.

“Today is exactly 25 days since Parliament was adjourned sine die. But it has still NOT been prorogued,” Ramesh said in a post on X. He said prorogation normally takes place three to four days after a session is adjourned sine die, while citing the 28-day gap during the 2015 Monsoon Session as an earlier example.

Ramesh referred to the 2015 session, which he said had been largely disrupted over the Lalit Modi issue. He alleged that the then Modi government had kept that session alive in the hope of passing the GST Bills, which required a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. He said the government was subsequently forced to consult the opposition more meaningfully before the Bills were passed later. Ramesh alleged that this year’s Monsoon Session was being kept open because the Union home minister was seeking a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha for the Delimitation Bills.

“The 2026 Monsoon Session has been kept on ventilator because the home minister is still scrambling around for his super-tainted two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to get the Delimitation Bills passed,” he said. “How much longer before he accepts the reality that his politics of threats and intimidation has reached its limit?” Ramesh added. The remarks came after the government faced a setback in the Lok Sabha in April over a Constitution Amendment Bill related to delimitation and implementation of women's reservation.

During the Monsoon Session, 12 bills were passed by Parliament, while 11 bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha. Only the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, was debated in the House, while the remaining Bills were passed without discussion amid opposition protests over issues including the NEET paper leak, alleged theft of Ram Temple donations and the police action against student protesters on July 20.

The government had faced a setback on April 17 when a Constitution Amendment Bill involving delimitation for implementation of women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was defeated in the Lower House. 528 MPs voted on the Bill, with 298 supporting it and 230 opposing it. A two-thirds majority required 352 votes. The defeat had raised questions over the government's ability to secure the numbers required for constitutional amendments related to delimitation.