File photo of Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The 88-day gap since the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, but has not been prorogued, is designed to give Union Home Minister Amit Shah time to muster the numbers for a two-thirds majority to push through the Delimitation Bills, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Monday (November 9, 2026).

Also read | Delimitation — a case of to be or not to be

In a post on social media platform X, Mr. Ramesh cited the eighth edition of Practice and Procedure of Parliament, popularly known as Kaul and Shakdher (after its authors), published in mid-2024. Page 192 of the book says the interval between the adjournment sine die of the Lok Sabha and its prorogation is generally two to four days, he claimed, and added that a footnote records the longest gap as 28 days, during the monsoon session of 2015.

However, Mr. Ramesh pointed out that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on October 19 had cited the 2008 monsoon session, which had not been prorogued for 87 days. “Why that fails to find mention in Kaul and Shakdher is puzzling,” Mr. Ramesh said, adding that the 2008 arrangement had been reached through consensus among all parties in view of the circumstances at the time.

“Even so, going by the Union Minister’s own reckoning, a new record has been set today,” Mr. Ramesh said.

“Unlike in the past, including in 2008, this record has been set to give time to the Union Home Minister to somehow manipulate a super-tainted two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to get the dangerous and destructive Delimitation Bills passed,” the Congress’s communications chief alleged.

The Opposition’s unity and solidarity, which had defeated the government’s designs on April 17, 2026, would prevail again if Mr. Shah resorted to his “trademark bulldozer tactics”, the Congress leader said.

Mr. Kharge had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi four times in the past six months seeking an all-party meeting to discuss the delimitation proposals transparently and in detail before any legislation was introduced, Mr. Ramesh said. “The PM has steadfastly refused to do so,” he said.

Published – November 09, 2026 02:49 pm IST