Jagdeep Dhankhar hoists national flag at new Parliament building; Kharge absent

Among the attendees at the event were Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, along with Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghawal and V. Muraleedharan, as well as various leaders representing political parties from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, among others.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, currently in Hyderabad for a two-day session of the newly formed Congress Working Committee, will not be in attendance at the flag hoisting ceremony at the new Parliament building.

Also Read: ‘Not feasible for me to attend flag-hoisting in new Parliament building,’ Mallikarjun Kharge pens to RS Secy General

This decision comes after the Congress president expressed dissatisfaction in a letter to Rajya Sabha Secretary General Pramod Chandra Mody, citing disappointment over the delayed invitation to the event.

“Dear P C Mody ji, I am writing this letter with a sense of disappointment that I have received your invite for flag hoisting function tomorrow at New Parliament building only on September 15 quite late in the evening.”

“Since the programmes had been fixed much in advance. I am presently in Hyderabad to hold the meetings. As I will return to Delhi late night on September 17, it will not be feasible for me to attend the function scheduled for tomorrow morning,” Kharge said in his letter.

Meanwhile, a gathering of floor leaders from various political parties is set to take place at 4:30 pm today, preceding the upcoming five-day special parliamentary session scheduled from September 18 to 22.

Also Read: Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge hits out at BJP for diverting basic issues, coining slogans

“Ahead of the parliament session from the 18th of this month, an all-party floor leaders meeting has been convened on the 17th at 4.30 PM,” Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a social media post earlier this week, adding, “The invitation for the same has been sent to concerned leaders through email. Letter to follow.”

Following several days of speculation regarding the government’s agenda for the special session, a parliamentary bulletin has clarified that the inaugural day will focus on commemorating Parliament’s 75-year journey. The provisional agenda for the session also includes deliberation and approval of the bill concerning the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners.

Additional items on the agenda for the Lok Sabha encompass ‘The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023,’ and ‘The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023,’ both of which were previously approved by the Rajya Sabha on August 3, 2023.

Furthermore, the Lok Sabha’s agenda includes ‘The Post Office Bill, 2023’ as one of the listed items of business.

Updated: 17 Sep 2023, 10:06 AM IST