India vs Bharat: The special session of parliament will be held from September 18 to 22
Former Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out that no agenda had been listed for the special session of parliament that will begin on September 18.
"I must point out that this special session has been convened without any consultation with other political parties. None of us have any idea of its agenda. All we have been communicated is that all five days have been allocated for government business," Sonia Gandhi said in her letter today.
Mrs Gandhi also demanded discussions on several issues, including the Centre-state relationship, communalism, Manipur situation and border conflict with China, during the special session.
"I earnestly hope that in a spirit of constructive cooperation, these issues will be taken up in the forthcoming special session," she said.
This comes a day after the use of "Bharat" - instead of "India" - in official G20 Summit invitations sparked a buzz over the country's name change. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra last night also shared a document on the PM's visit to Indonesia that referred to him as the "Prime Minister of Bharat."
Sources say the government may put forward a resolution to change the country's name later this month in the five-day special session of parliament. The fact that the government has not announced any agenda for the special session has only added to the speculation.
The special session of parliament will be held from September 18 to 22. The session will start in the old building of parliament, and be moved to the new building on September 19.