New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday sought the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker’s position for the opposition in the all-party meeting convened by the government ahead of the Parliament session, and raised the issue of paper leaks, including the prestigious NEET, sources said.
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said at the meeting that the opposition should be allowed to raise issues in Parliament after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought cooperation from every party for the smooth running of the two Houses, the sources said.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Rijiju said 55 leaders from 44 parties attended the all-party meeting where a useful discussion took place.
He said running Parliament smoothly was the collective responsibility of the government and opposition and that the government was open to discussing any issue in Parliament by following laid down rules.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, referred to the opposition’s continuous protests during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech during the last session and said such incidents should not happen in Parliament.
During the meeting, Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav raised the issue of the Uttar Pradesh government’s controversial directive to eateries on the ‘kanwariya’ route to display the owners’ names, the sources said.
The YSR Congress spoke about the TDP government’s alleged targeting of its leaders in Andhra Pradesh and sought the Centre’s intervention.
Claiming that lawlessness prevails in Andhra Pradesh, it said the President’s rule was the only solution.
At the meeting, YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy also flagged the issue of funds for Andhra Pradesh from the central pool. He said states following population control were being punished in terms of revenue, and the issue must be addressed by the Finance Commission.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raised the issue of the alleged assault on an officer by the Odisha governor’s son, saying it seems he was above the law.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra said after the meeting that his party will play the role of a strong opposition on the floor of the House and underlined that his party is neither with the opposition INDIA Bloc nor the government.
The BJD faced reverses in the recent assembly polls in Odisha and failed to open its account in the Lok Sabha polls.
Separately, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that in the all-party meeting, the JD (U) and the YSRCP demanded special category status for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, but “strangely,” the TDP kept quiet on the matter.
YSRCP MP Reddy also questioned the silence of the TDP on the issue of special category status for Andhra.
In a post on X, Ramesh, who was present at the meeting, said, “In today’s all-party meeting of floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the JD (U) leader demanded special category status for Bihar. The YSRCP leader demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Strangely, the TDP leader kept quiet on the matter.”
In another post, the Congress leader said, “How the political climate has changed! In the all-party meeting of floor leaders, the BJD leader reminded the Defence Minister and BJP President JP Nadda that the BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 assembly elections in Odisha had promised special category status to the state.”
JD (U), a key ally in the ruling NDA, had recently passed a resolution demanding special category status or package for Bihar.
Though leaders from Andhra Pradesh had been demanding special category status for the state, the demand has again gained momentum post-Lok Sabha polls.
Ramesh later also said that at the meeting, there was a universal demand for the Central Hall to be opened up again for MPs to mingle with each other.
He said the historic Central Hall has sadly fallen into disuse after the opening of the new Parliament building.
The political rivalry between the TDP and the YSRCP also played out at the meeting, with TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu saying that the Andhra Pradesh government will release a white paper on the status of the finances of the state in a day or two. He claimed it would send shockwaves.
He said the party will raise in Parliament the issue of the financial mess Andhra Pradesh is in, apparently referring to the rule of the previous YSR government.
“We made a request at an all-party meeting to be given enough time in Parliament to raise all issues in Andhra Pradesh, Devarayalu said.
Nadda, Gogoi Union minister, and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan were among the leaders who attended the meeting. Defence Minister Singh and Rijiju put forth the government’s view at the customary meeting.
Besides, Congress’ Ramesh and K Suresh, as well as Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM, RJD’s Abhay Kushwaha, JD (U) Sanjay Jha, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, and NCP’s Praful Patel, were present at the meeting.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Tuesday during the session beginning Monday. A united opposition is set to corner the NDA government on issues ranging from the NEET paper leak case to railway safety.
The session begins on Monday and will have 19 sittings till August 12, when the government is expected to present six bills, including the one to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act, and also get Parliament’s nod for the budget of Jammu and Kashmir, which is under central rule.
Sitharaman will also table the Economic Survey in Parliament on Monday.
