New Delhi, October 16 (H.S.): Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once again urging him to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the issue of delimitation. Mallikarjun Kharge said 64 days had passed since the Monsoon Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die on August 13, yet neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha had reconvened. Describing the situation as unprecedented, he stressed that all political parties must hold detailed discussions before any delimitation-related proposals are considered in Parliament.

In his letter dated Friday, Mallikarjun Kharge said he had first written to the Prime Minister on April 11, requesting an all-party meeting on the issue. Despite repeated appeals for discussions on delimitation, he said, no initiative had been taken so far in this regard.

Mallikarjun Kharge stated in the letter that a special session of Parliament had been convened on April 14, the same day a Constitutional Amendment Bill concerning delimitation was introduced. At the time, he said, the government did not have the two-thirds majority required to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill.

The Congress president said he had also written to the Prime Minister on July 16 and August 27, seeking an all-party meeting. He has now reiterated the demand for the fourth time, urging the Prime Minister to ensure detailed consultations with all political parties before finalising any new proposals.

Mallikarjun Kharge emphasised that all parties should be given adequate time to present their views in Parliament and deliberate on the proposals. He appealed to the Prime Minister not to bypass the process of building broad consensus on delimitation or rush forward with any proposal before the views of all stakeholders had been heard.

He once again urged the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meeting so that the proposals related to delimitation could be discussed comprehensively with representatives of all political parties.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar