Opposition to intensify protest on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification and Adani issue in Parliament

Opposition MPs will intensify their protest on Adani issue and disqualification of Rahul Gandhi when Parliament reconvenes on Monday with Congress lawmakers planning to wear black clothes to the House and hold demonstrations.

This will be the first sitting of Lok Sabha after Rahul was disqualified as MP on Friday following his conviction in a defamation case. Opposition leaders are likely to meet at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's office on Monday morning to finetune the floor strategy.

Almost all Opposition parties have come out in support of Rahul after his disqualification from Lok Sabha. Kharge, Rahul and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have thanked all the parties for their support.

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Congress MPs will be vociferous in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Sources said leadership have instructed the MPs to come to Parliament wearing black clothes as part of the protest.

“We are planning that all our MPs come dressed in black tomorrow i.e. March 27, 2023. I request you to kindly do so that a powerful collective message is sent,” Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said in a message to MPs in the Lower House. A similar message was sent to Rajya Sabha MPs also.

With some MPs under the scanner for skipping Friday's protest march, sources said the lawmakers have been specifically asked to be present or face action.

Though the Opposition has made clear its intention, the government is going ahead with its business by listing passage of The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha on Monday.

On Friday, it said in Lok Sabha that it intends to pass five bills in the rest of the Session, which is scheduled to end on April 6. There is speculation that the session may be adjourned before schedule but there is no official communication.

Besides the Bill listed for Monday, the government has said it wants to pass The Competition (Amendment) Bill 2022, The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill 2022, The Inter-services Organisations (Command, Control & Discipline) Bill 2023 and The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

In Rajya Sabha, the list of business include mainly Budget related issues.