Parliament shift likely on Ganesh Chaturthi, 2nd day of special session

The special Parliament session that begins on September 18 is likely to be held in the old building on the first day and shift to the new one the next day, officials have said.

According to them, the shift to the new Parliament building will happen on Ganesh Chaturthi, which is considered auspicious to make new beginnings.

The 10-day long Ganesh festival begins on September 19.

The officials said on Wednesday (September 6) that the agenda for the week-long House session is expected to be finalised after the G20 Leaders’ Summit on September 9-10.

Opposition questions

The clarification comes amid Opposition protest over “no clarity” on the agenda for the upcoming Parliament session. The Congress had urged the Centre to maintain transparency and not keep the country in the dark over the agenda of the session.

In a letter to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Centre has followed the relevant rules and procedures in convening the session from September 18-22.

Joshi said there was no convention of consulting political parties before convening a Parliament session.

Gandhi on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out that no agenda was listed for the special session and for raising nine issues, including the Manipur violence and price rise, for discussion.