MPs stand for Vande Mataram before the sine die adjournment of the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament on August 13, 2026.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Flagging the ten-day delay in proroguing the Lok Sabha after it adjourned sine die on August 13, 2026, as per schedule, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh on Sunday (August 23, 2026) questioned the government on whether this “abnormal delay” is an indication of the government’s efforts to cobble together the necessary numbers to clear the delimitation bill.In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh noted that under normal parliamentary practice, “the time gap between the adjournment of the Lok Sabha sine die and its prorogation is generally two to four days,” and said there have been instances when “adjournment and prorogation have taken place on the very same day.”The time gap between the adjournment of the Lok Sabha sine die and its prorogation is generally two to four days - although there are many instances when adjournment and prorogation have taken place on the very same day.Ten days have gone by since this Lok Sabha was adjourned… pic.twitter.com/62Sq20KdSc— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 23, 2026He pointed out that the gap has occasionally run longer, 28 days afterthe Monsoon Session of 2015 and 20 days in 2021, but argued that “there were no diabolical moves afoot then.” This time, he asked, “What explains the abnormal delay now? Is the Union Home Minister still in search of his bahukalakit (tarnished) 2/3rd majority to get the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Delimitation passed in a Special Session?”Mr. Ramesh also posted a photograph of a page from Practice and Procedure of Parliament by M.N. Kaul and S.L. Shakdher, which says that the President terminates a session of the house under Article 85 (2) acting on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet may be consulted before the advice is submitted. The text also notes that prorogation “may take place any time, even while the House is sitting,” but “usually... follows the adjournment of the sitting of the House sine die.”Also Read | Monsoon Session fell victim to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘arrogance, indiscipline’, says BJPThe manual further explains that the interval between prorogation and the House’s reassembly for a new session is termed the “inter-session period”, underscoring that prorogation, not adjournment, formally closes a session and clears the way for the next one to be convened. Published - August 23, 2026 12:36 pm IST
