Delimitation: Rijiju Questions Congress’ Demand for All-Party Meeting

New Delhi: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in finalising a date for discussions with the Congress on the proposed delimitation Bill, saying the government has repeatedly sought the opposition party’s views and suggestions.

In a letter to Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Rijiju said the government had made several attempts to initiate discussions on the delimitation exercise and the proposed legislation but had not received a confirmed date.

On October 16, Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the fourth time, urging him to convene an all-party meeting before finalising the delimitation proposals and introducing them in Parliament.

Rijiju said that, in the absence of a confirmed date from the Congress, the government had held consultations with several other parties, including the DMK, Samajwadi Party, YSRCP, NCP, Shiv Sena, AIMIM and BJD. The consultations, he said, were aimed at building a broader consensus on the proposed Bill.

Questioning the continued demand for an all-party meeting, Rijiju maintained that the government was open to dialogue and that opposition parties should participate constructively in the discussions.

He said the government welcomed the involvement of all political parties in deliberations on issues of national importance. Rijiju also urged the Congress not to obstruct the consideration of important Bills in Parliament and called on it to cooperate in accordance with the principles of parliamentary democracy.