‘Hallucinating Chanakya’: Jairam Ramesh attacks Amit Shah over delimitation bill numbers
New Delhi: Targeting the Modi administration, the Congress party stated Friday that the government has established a new record for delaying the formal prorogation of Parliament following its adjournment sine die, alleging that Home Minister Amit Shah is plotting to secure a "super-tainted" two-thirds majority to pass a Constitution Amendment Bill on delimitation in the Lok Sabha.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh also questioned why the government continues to refuse to convene an all-party conference to discuss its delimitation framework and construct a national consensus.
"So today the Modi government has set a new record, bettering its own set in 2015. The gap between the adjournment of Parliament sine die and its prorogation has reached 29 days. The gap for the 2015 Monsoon Session was 28 days," Ramesh said in a post on X.
Ramesh noted that the gap following the 2026 Monsoon Session continues to widen with no immediate prospect of formal prorogation, contrasting it with the typical interval of three to four days.
"It is abundantly clear that the Union Home Minister was severely wounded by the stunning defeat he had inflicted on himself and his Govt with his staggering arrogance in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026," Ramesh said.
"He (Shah) is now plotting a comeback to secure a super-tainted two-thirds majority to get the Constitution Amendment Bill passed in the Lok Sabha. He has already engineered a split in three parties that had voted against the Bill on April 17, 2026 and is using threats, intimidation and incentives to get others (who had also voted against the Bill) to change their stance," the Congress leader alleged.
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Ramesh maintained that the Home Minister lacks the required numbers, asserting that "bravado, bluff and bluster" would not alter the legislative realities.
"By not proroguing the Monsoon Session, the self-styled Chanakya may think he is playing mind games and indulging in psy-ops. But this is silly since the government can convene a session any time it wants to for any purpose," Ramesh said, adding that Shah can "continue to hallucinate."
"Why is the Modi government refusing to convene an All-Party meeting to discuss its proposals for delimitation so as to build the broadest possible consensus - which is what the country needs? This has been the consistent demand of all Opposition Parties since mid-March 2026," Ramesh said, questioning the "secrecy and mystery" surrounding a matter of constitutional importance.
The opposition party has repeatedly challenged the delay in formally proroguing the Monsoon session, claiming the administration was attempting to assemble a "super-tainted" two-thirds majority through parliamentary manoeuvres.
During the Budget session on 17 April, the government suffered a parliamentary setback when the Constitution amendment bill involving delimitation, intended to implement women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was defeated in the lower house.
Out of 528 MPs participating in the vote, 298 voted in favour while 230 voted against, falling short of the 352 votes required for a constitutional two-thirds majority.
PTI