Special Session Of Parliament: Modi's Next Masterstroke? What Could Be On Cards During Surprised Session?

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 5 sittings.

The Modi government surprised the public yesterday with an unexpected announcement that a special parliamentary session is scheduled to take place from September 18 to September 22. The reasons behind this decision have not been disclosed, but it is confirmed that the session will consist of five meetings. Although the specific agenda for the session remains uncertain, there is speculation within the BJP and official circles regarding potential significant initiatives by the Modi government. 

"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 5 sittings.  Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to having fruitful discussions and debate in Parliament," said Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi.

One possibility is the initiation of steps to introduce simultaneous elections across the nation, while another is the consideration of the Women's Reservation Bill. Opposition leaders like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar have already claimed that the NDA government may prepone the Lok Sabha polls. According to reports, while these are two of the many possibilities, opinions diverge on the feasibility of these options as suitable agenda items for a special session. Within the government, some argue that these choices could yield electoral benefits, but others dismiss them, particularly due to the current scenario of Opposition unity. Many leaders believe it seems unlikely that the Opposition would cooperate with the government in pushing through major legislation that too, months ahead of the key elections. 

According to an IE report, the Winter Session of Parliament, normally held in November-December, might be postponed due to upcoming state elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Mizoram. The report also claimed that the special session has both domestic and international political implications. If this statement is to be believed, the statehood issue of Jammu and Kashmir can also crop up during the session, but all these are just speculations as of now. The Narendra Modi-led regime is known for maintaining utmost secrecy on strategic issues to be discussed in Parliament and that was evident when the bill to abrogate Article 370 was introduced in Parliament. 

In recent times, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made strong statements linked to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Taking back PoK has been one of the key poll planks of the BJP and it will be interesting to see whether any resolution comes up in Parliament related to this during the special session. The most recent instance of a special parliamentary session called by the Modi government was on June 30, 2017, to commemorate the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).