Ahead of Constitution debate, Rahul's letter to LS Speaker seeking two-day discussion surfaces

New Delhi, Dec 12 After repeated disruptions and washouts of both Houses of Parliament since the commencement of the Winter Session, the Lower House is likely to witness 'normalcy' on Friday and see a productive discussion on the completion of 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution of India.

A debate on the historic milestone for the Constitution has been scheduled in Lok Sabha on December 13 and 14.

Meanwhile, a letter by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has surfaced ahead of the highly-anticipated debate in the Lower House.

In the letter dated November 26, 2024, the Congress MP demanded a two-day debate on the adoption of the Constitution.

"This historic occasion of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly provides an invaluable opportunity for all the MPs to collectively reflect on the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar," Rahul wrote and demanded that two days be allocated for a dedicated debate.

Citing precedents of previous debates on Balasaheb Ambedkar's legacy, Rahul pointed out, "In 2015, both Houses held a two-day, 13-hour discussion on November 26 to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar. We also had discussions in both Houses on August 9, 2017, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, and in 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of the country's independence."

The move is set to ignite a 'credit war' between the ruling BJP and the INDIA bloc as both would seek to take credit for 'bringing the House to normalcy'.

Chaos and pandemonium have largely prevailed in both Houses, with the government and opposition taking potshots at each other on multiple issues. Both have pinned blame on each other for the repeated washouts. Both sides, a couple of days ago, had agreed on breaking the logjam with a two-day discussion on the Constitution.

Today, both the leading parties BJP and Congress issued a 'three-line whip' to all its Lok Sabha MPs, instructing them to mark their presence in the House on December 13 and 14, when it takes up debate on the Constitution.

If the House witnesses productive and prolonged debate, as scheduled, the Treasury and Opposition benches will pat their back with an intent to drive home the message that it was the other side that derailed the functioning of Parliament.