“Centre Rejects Opposition’s Special Session Demand, Announces Monsoon Session from July 21”

Centre Rejects Opposition’s Special Session Demand: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday announced that the Monsoon Session of Parliament will be held from July 21 to August 12, 2025. This will be the first session after Operation Sindoor, a major counter-terror operation by India.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has recommended the dates, he told reporters here.

The announcement by Rijiju comes against the backdrop of a demand for special session by opposition leaders to discuss Operation Sindoor.

In a post on X, Rajya Sabha MP O'Brien said, "Parliamentophobia (noun) - My word for the acute condition of a (Modi) government who have a morbid fear of facing Parliament. Running away from a special session," he said.

This also comes amid the demand by Opposition leaders to convene a special session of Parliament upon the arrival of all-party delegations to discuss various issues, especially the developments that followed the ghastly Pahalgam terrorist attack.

"We, the leaders of INDIA, reiterate our collective and urgent request to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the developments following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025," Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge posted on X, quoting the letter signed by prominent opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, among others.

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The session, which will have 17 sittings, will see a discussion on Operation Sindoor as well as the initiation of an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court’s Justice Yashwant Varma. It is also likely to see the government taking credit for the announcement of the caste census in a year, Bihar is going to Assembly elections.

Announcing the schedule, Rijiju said all issues can be discussed in the Monsoon Session as per rules of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He said the dates were finalised by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday.

Rijiju’s announcement came a day after the I.N.D.I.A. bloc said that its 16 leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Abhishek Banerjee, have signed a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a special session immediately after seven multi-party delegations sent abroad returns this week. AAP too demanded the same in a separate letter.

"TMC has studied the past announcements, and usually, the session is announced around 20 days ahead of the date of commencement. This time, they announced it 45 days ahead. So scared!" O'Brien said, referring to the Monsoon Session announcement.

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"If they can announce the Monsoon Session, why not a special session in June," he questioned.

INDIA bloc parties on Tuesday rallied together to push for a special session to discuss all developments related to the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor -- India's military response to the attack.

Lawmakers from 16 opposition parties wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, seeking a special session on the matter, saying there were "serious questions facing the nation".

Congress, TMC, SP, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, J&K National Conference, CPI(M), IUML, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), JMM, Kerala Congress, MDMK, CPI(ML) Liberation signed the joint letter, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is expected to send a separate letter raising the same demand.

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