Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leader Sonia Gandhi.
Credit: PTI File Photo
The Congress on Tuesday said it will constructively participate in the upcoming special session of Parliament convened from September 18 to 22, but made it clear that it won't sit there only for 'Modi chalisa' and want that issues of public concern be also raised during the five-day sitting. The party's stance was decided at a strategy group meeting chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, where leaders of the Congress in both Houses were also present.
The interaction came ahead of the dinner meeting convened by Kharge at his residence for floor leaders of other parties of the INDIA alliance of the opposition. Leaders of various parties attended the dinner meeting.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh told reporters that it is for the first time that the government has not taken the opposition parties into confidence and not discussed the agenda for the upcoming session.
He asserted that it is impossible to have only government business during the five-day sitting while offering to participate in the proceedings of both Houses hoping that the dispensation will allow them to raise issues of public importance.
'We are not going to sit only for Modi chalisa. We will surely demand from the government and try and raise our issues in every session. But, we have not been getting an opportunity to raise them in the previous sessions.
'We hope that the opposition will also get an opportunity to raise their issues which are of concern to the people. Our demand would be that there should be discussion on those issues and with this sentiment we would participate in this special session,' Ramesh told reporters.
He said whenever a special session is convened, all parties are told about the agenda in advance and there is a broad agenda prepared and discussed with various parties, including those of the opposition.
'This is the first time that to divert attention from the INDIA alliance partners, the prime minister and their alliance partners declare that there will be a five-day special session of Parliament,' he said.
A parliamentary bulletin said only government business is mentioned in it and we have no information about the agenda.
'It is impossible that for five days there is only government business. We want that during the special session of Parliament, along with economic and political issues, issues related to foreign policy and borders should also be discussed.
'We expect the government to take the opposition along in the special session. After today's meeting, we will select issues and demand an open discussion on them in the House,' the Congress leader said.
He said these issues will also be discussed with the floor leaders of other alliance partners of the INDIA bloc.
Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi said the special session has been announced, but the BJP itself is not able to decide the important issues.
The Congress party is ready to discuss and give suggestions on important issues related to the people. Now the question is with the Modi government, will they tell their agenda, he asked.
Gogoi said during the meeting, they discussed the economic problems of the country, the calamity of Himachal Pradesh and the instability of Manipur as well as the issue of Gautam Adani.
He said during the Parliamentary Strategic Group meeting, they discussed the important issues facing the country which includes economic problems, unemployment or inflation besides the accidents that have taken place in Himachal Pradesh, the loss due to floods in Himachal Pradesh and the floods in North-Purvanchal.
'We discussed the instability that is still there in Manipur, people are still in camps, people are being killed; The news about Adani ji was recently published in Guardian and Financial Times, where sensitive things were mentioned. There should be an investigation on the Adani issue, we talked about that. Whether it is Nuh or in different provinces of the country, on instability in society and the reason for which is only the divisive politics of BJP,' he said.
He said the government has a responsibility towards the country and Parliament and it should be transparent towards the country.
'But, neither this government is transparent, nor is this government responsible. Today the country is in darkness, whatever is being heard is being heard through the media, but the present BJP government has kept the country in darkness,' he alleged.