The Monsoon Session of Parliament has remained unprorogued for a record 88 days, and the Congress flagged the delay on Tuesday, 10 November. The party's criticism and the speculation around the delay are the developments of today, according to a report by Outlook India updated at 9:39 am.
The Monsoon Session adjourned sine die on 13 August. Neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha has been formally prorogued by President Droupadi Murmu since then, according to the report.
Prorogation is the formal ending of a session by the President. Until a session is prorogued, it can be reconvened at short notice, which is one reason the delay has drawn attention.
The 88-day mark was reached on Monday, 9 November, breaking the previous record of 87 days set in 2008. In that year, the Lok Sabha met for two days on a no-confidence motion against the then UPA government, reconvened on 17 October and adjourned on 24 October.
Why the delay matters
Keeping a session unprorogued allows the government to convene the House at short notice. An extended sitting can be called with a minimum of two days' notice, against 14 days for a fresh session, according to the report.
Speculation in Delhi is that the government may convene the House to take up a proposed constitutional amendment linked to implementing the Women's Reservation Bill. That amendment is tied to delimitation, the redrawing of constituency boundaries, and could seek to raise the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 seats to a maximum of 850 seats.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reiterated the allegation on Monday that the delay is because the government is trying to find a majority for the delimitation bill, according to the report. The allegation is the Congress's claim, and the government has not confirmed that reason for the delay.
Former Lok Sabha Secretary General P D T Achary is quoted in the report on the procedure. The Constitution prescribes no specific timeframe for prorogation, so the delay, while unusual, does not breach a written deadline.
What is confirmed and what is speculation
The confirmed facts are the dates and the record. The session adjourned on 13 August, it has not been prorogued, and the gap has passed the 2008 record. Those facts are not in dispute.
The reason for the delay is not confirmed. The delimitation explanation is speculation and a political allegation, and it should be read as such until the government states its own reason or convenes the House.
The Women's Reservation Bill, which reserves seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, can only take effect after delimitation. That link is why speculation about a delimitation bill has attached itself to the prorogation delay.
Whether the House is reconvened, and for what business, will settle the question. Until then, the record itself is the news, and the political argument over its cause is the debate around it.
