India, April 27 -- The Congress on Monday boycotted the one-day special session of the Haryana assembly, accusing the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government of using the state legislature as a platform for political propaganda. The session was primarily convened by the ruling BJP to target the Congress for the April 17 defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha-a contentious piece of legislation that sought to link women's reservation with a fresh delimitation exercise.

The session, which began with the national song Vande Mataram and empty opposition benches, was marked by a brief appearance and immediate exit by Congress MLA Jarnail Singh, one of the five party legislators currently suspended for alleged cross-vot...