New Delhi, Oct. 12 -- The Congress on Monday said the government should prorogue both houses of Parliament and hold an all-party dialogue on the delimitation issue, but stressed that for any meaningful discussion to proceed it was first important that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar should resign.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Monsoon session of Parliament has not yet been prorogued though both the houses were adjourned sine die on August 13. He said the gap has broken all records long ago --the previous one being the 28 day delay for the Monsoon session in 2015. "It is clear that the outgoing Union Home Minister's desperate efforts to muster up a super-tainted two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the Modi Government's dangerous Bills on Delimitation have failed miserably.A number of NDA allies themselves have been opposed to the Bills and they have suddenly found new courage. Meanwhile GyaneshGate has overwhelmed the country," he said on a post on X.
"The evil designs of the PM and the HM were defeated resoundingly in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026 because of the unity and solidarity of the Opposition. That is intact even though the HM has split some Opposition parties," Ramesh alleged. During the Budget session on April 17, the Modi government faced a setback as the Constitution amendment bill, involving delimitation, for the implementation of the women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was defeated in the Lower House. Ramesh said, "The Modi Government should now gracefully prorogue both Houses and open a genuine All-Party dialogue on the way forward for Delimitation as has been demanded repeatedly by Opposition leaders". "But first it will have to secure the resignation of the CEC, suspend the SIR and take steps to restore public faith and trust in the entire election system that has been very badly subverted," the Congress leader said.
"But perhaps it is too much to expect the two subverters themselves to take such steps. Ultimately, however, the Constitution will prevail and the resolve of the people will overcome," he further alleged. The opposition has been demanding the resignation of the CEC after a report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months, mostly to decisions and orders related to the SIR of electoral rolls. Under fire over objections raised by two of its commissioners, the Election Commission had asserted that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.