NEW DELHI: Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram on Sunday slammed the Centre’s decision to convene Parliament just days ahead of polling for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.In a social media post, Chidambaram termed the Centre’s proposal “mischievous” and alleged that it was designed to exclude MPs from the discussion and voting on critical Constitutional Amendment Bills.”The proposal to convene Parliament on April 16-18 is mischievous and must be opposed. Polling in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal is scheduled on April 23 (and April 29 in WB),” the veteran leader said.”39 MPs of TN and 28 MPs of WB are in the Opposition benches in the Lok Sabha. They will be fully engaged in their constituencies during April 16-18. If critical Constitution Amendment Bills are brought for discussion and voting on those dates, how will these 67 MPs in the Lok Sabha participate and vote? I suspect that the design is to exclude these MPs,” he added.The budget session of Parliament will reconvene from April 16 to likely pass bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 seats. The government is looking to introduce at least two bills—including constitutional amendments—in the current session of Parliament to roll out reservation for women of one-third of seats in the next Lok Sabha poll and assembly elections to be held after it.The move promises to change the country’s political landscape and put an authoritative stamp on PM Modi’s much-touted agenda of women’s empowerment as the campaign for four state assemblies gathers pace.If the government has its way, then the number of seats in Lok Sabha will rise by 50% to 816 from the existing 543, with the 273-seat increase set aside for women, ensuring that the existing political dynamics and incumbent parliamentarians, overwhelmingly male, are not cut loose as a reshaped order takes hold. The majority mark will, accordingly, move to 409.According to news agency PTI, the two Houses will reconvene for either two or three days to take up the proposed legislation.Although the governing NDA does not have the strength to secure the passage of the bill on its own, the government seems keen to push for its passage during the budget session concluding on April 4.The strength of Lok Sabha will increase for the first time in over five decades. The strength of Rajya Sabha and legislative councils in states will not be affected.
