
All-Party Meet Discusses Key Issues Ahead of Monsoon Session
The Indian government convened an all-party meeting on July 21st, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, to discuss key issues and seek cooperation for smooth functioning of the two Houses. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
During the meeting, the Congress party reiterated its demand for the Deputy Speaker's position for the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. They also raised concerns about the recent question paper leaks, including the NEET issue. Party leader Gaurav Gogoi emphasized the need for the Opposition to be allowed to raise issues in Parliament.
Other parties also brought up various concerns. The Samajwadi Party raised the issue of the Uttar Pradesh government's directive to eateries on the kanwar routes to display the owners' names. The YSR Congress spoke about the alleged targeting of its leaders in Andhra Pradesh by the TDP government and sought the Centre's intervention.
The JD(U) and the YSRCP demanded special category status for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh respectively. Notably, the TDP leader remained silent on the matter. The BJD also demanded special category status for Odisha, reminding the government of its promise in the 2014 assembly elections manifesto.
The meeting was attended by several prominent leaders, including BJP president J P Nadda, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Monsoon Session is set to commence on July 22nd, with the Finance Minister presenting the Union Budget on July 23rd. The session will have 19 sittings till August 12th, during which the government is expected to present six bills and seek Parliament's approval for the budget of Jammu and Kashmir.
A united Opposition is expected to corner the NDA government on various issues, including the NEET paper leak case and railway safety. The session is likely to be a politically charged one, with both sides vying to score points ahead of the upcoming state elections.