New Delhi: The announcement by the government of India that a special session of Parliament will be called for five days from September 18-22 has caught both politial observers as well as the Opposition parties by surprise. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, who posted about government's decision to call the special session of Parliament on X (formerly Twitter), spoke to the press on Friday (September 1) and answered questions on the motive behind calling the special session of Parliament. Joshi, replyng on the 'One Nation, One Poll' question, said that only a committee has been formed so far and that it's a long process."I will share the agenda (behind calling) the parliament session once it's finalised in next 3-days. It is an important issue that is why the special session has been called," called the minister.
"As far as I know, till 1963 or 1967, 1967 in fact, Lok Sabha and the state elections used to be held together. That used to promote culture of development. If you see now, if a government is elected in Centre, then for 5.5 years there is always elections going on somewhere. It affects the decision making process too. That is why on this issue, there should be a conversation and discussion," said the Parliamentart Affairs Minister.
Government's motive apart, a special session of parliament has been called by the government of the day for a number of reasons over the years. Below is a list of when and why have a special session of parliament been called in India over the years.
1. August 14-15, 1947
The first 'special' session of the Indian Parliament was called on August 14-15, 1947, on the eve of India's Independence to mark the transfer of power as the British left India and the democratic republic of India marked its first sesssion in the parliament.
2. November, 1962
Special Session of Parliament called to discuss India-China war. The session was held on November 8-9
3. August 14-15, 1972
Special session called to celebrate India's 25th Independence Day.
4. August 9, 1992
Midnight session called to mark 50th anniversary of the 'Quit India' movement
5. August 14-15, 1997
Midnight session to commemorate India's 50th Independence Day anniversary
6. November 26-27, 2015
Dr BR Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary was marked by the parliament with a two-day special sitting in both the lower as well as the upper house of the parliament.
7. June 30, 2017
Special session to discuss the GST rollout across the country. It was the last special session of Parliament called by the government. The special session this year will be held from September 18-22.
