PM, Sonia discuss strategy with allies
The UPA on Monday projected a “united” face ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament commencing on July 26 against the backdrop of the success of Opposition’s Bharat Bandh on the price rise issue. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi deliberated with UPA allies on the strategy to counter the
Opposition which plans to target the Centre on price rise, internal security, violence in the Kashmir Valley, unrest in the three key states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, talks with Pakistan, the controversial caste-based census, Women’s Reservation Bill and the Bhopal gas tragedy.
This is perhaps the first-time UPA leaders met before a Parliament session since the alliance returned to power in May last year. They had held their first meeting on the first anniversary of UPA-2 to present the report card.
The Trinamul Congress was not represented at the meeting as the railway minister rushed to West Bengal after another rail accident that killed over 60 people. She did not send any of her party colleagues for the meeting. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who also could not make it, deputed Union minister Praful Patel.
Sources said the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Nuclear Civil Liability Bill did not come up for discussion at the meeting in which several pending bills and ordinances were discussed.
The government managers are not worried about the Opposition inside Parliament. This is because they are comfortable with the outside support from the SP, BSP and the RJD and division between the NDA and the rest in the Opposition benches.
After the meeting, home minister P. Chidambaram expressed the government’s readiness to discuss any matter on the floor of the House. “Government is prepared to discuss any matter of interest and concern to the members on the floor of the House,” Mr Chidambaram told reporters adding that the assurance has been given by Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee to leaders of different political parties. He expressed the confidence that the ensuing Parliament session would be smooth affair.
Asked about the absence of Mr Pawar and Ms Banerjee, Mr Chidambaram said that while Mr Pawar could not come due to personal reasons, Ms Banerjee was in Bengal.
He said the meeting discussed a number of important bills, including some for constitutional amendments, which are to be brought before Parliament in this session.
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