Kiren Rijiju Denies Special Parliament Session Amid Deadlock

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed reports that the Indian government would convene a special session of Parliament from August 16 to 18 or extend the current Monsoon Session beyond August 13. These rumors surfaced as the government seeks the two-thirds majority required to pass the Delimitation Bill and the Women's Reservation Amendment Bill, after a previous attempt failed in April 2026.

To break a 13-day legislative stalemate, Rijiju held a 50-minute meeting with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The government is proposing to increase Lok Sabha seats to 816 based on the 2011 Census and implement a 33 percent reservation for women by 2029. To appease southern states concerned about population-based seat distribution, the government is considering increasing all state seats by 50 percent.

Despite these talks, the INDIA bloc and other opposition parties continue to paralyze proceedings. They are demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding alleged police excesses during July 20 protests and the embezzlement of donations at the Ayodhya Ram temple. While the deadlock persists, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have passed the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill and the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill without debate.

Simultaneously, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a breakfast meeting for nearly 40 Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MPs to discuss parliamentary discipline and grassroots engagement.