A look at special Parliament sessions since Independence
Parliament of free India was a special session held on August 14-15, 1947, to mark India’s Independence. It is known for Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s “tryst with destiny” speech, among other things.
— Chinese aggression in 1962 led to the second special session on November 8 that year.
In fact, the winter session was brought forward as the war was on. The session ended on November 9.
— In 1972, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi convened a special session on August 15 to mark the 25th year of Independence.
— On August 9, 1992, a special session was held at midnight to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.
Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister.
— On August 15, 1997, another special session of Parliament was convened to mark the golden jubilee of Independence. IK Gujral was the Prime Minister.
— A few days later, a special five-day session was held from August 26 to September 1, 1997, to discuss the road travelled and progress made since Independence.
— On November 26, 2015, a two-day special session was held to celebrate the adoption of the Constitution on this day in 1949.
The year 2015 also marked the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar (born on April 14, 1891), who headed the committee that drafted the Constitution. The Narendra Modi government announced that November 26 would be celebrated as Constitution Day.
— On June 30, 2017, a special session was held at midnight to announce the start of the goods and services tax regime.
