'No Attention To Tradition': Sonia Gandhi's Letter On Special Session Of Parliament Draws Sharp Government Response

The central government has responded sharply to a letter written by former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, regarding the special session of parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi criticised Sonia Gandhi for not being aware of traditions and stated that the government discusses the agenda with the Opposition after the session begins.

Amidst the ongoing political uproar surrounding the possibility of changing the country's name to Bharat, Gandhi addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today (7 September).

Gandhi emphasised that no agenda has been announced for the upcoming special session of parliament, scheduled to begin on 18 September.

In her letter, she listed nine subjects and called for discussions on them.

Among the topics Gandhi highlighted in her list were centre-state relationships, communalism, the situation in Manipur, and the border conflict with China.

The response from the Parliamentary Affairs Minister came within hours.

According to the Minister, the calling of the Parliament session follows a traditional process. He emphasised that there is no discussion with political parties or any pre-discussion of issues before the session is called by the President.

However, a meeting of all party leaders does take place after the session is called, where matters related to the people's concerns in Parliament are discussed.

The suspense over the agenda has sparked speculation regarding a possible name change for the country.

This speculation was triggered by President Droupadi Murmu being referred to as 'President of Bharat' in her invitation to G20 leaders.

The following day, a document surfaced that referred to Prime Minister Modi as the 'Prime Minister of Bharat'.

A viral post on X has raised concerns that Pakistan may claim the name 'India'.

According to local Pakistani media, there are claims that Pakistan may assert its ownership of the name 'India' if India officially derecognises it at the United Nations level. This claim is based on the argument that the name refers to the Indus region in Pakistan.

The G-20 summit, scheduled for this weekend, will be the focus of the special session, as confirmed by reliable sources.