Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on September 6 wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to point out that the agenda for the special session of Parliament has not been shared with Opposition parties. Ms. Gandhi listed nine issues that the Opposition wanted to discuss during the five-day session that begins on September 18.
These issues include the continuing violence in Manipur, the rise in prices of essential commodities, unemployment, the need for a caste census, the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to look into the Adani Group in the wake of fresh allegations, the rise in cases of communal tension, border transgressions by China, and the severe damage caused by floods in some States and drought in others.
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She also mentioned communal tensions in different States, including Haryana; growing inequalities; distress to medium, small and micro enterprises (MSME); and commitment to farmer organisations with regard to minimum support price (MSP) and other demands raised by them.
“I must point out that this special session has been convened without any consultation with other political parties. None of us have any idea of its agenda. All we have been communicated is that all five days have been allocated for government business,” Ms. Gandhi said in her letter.
Seeking time to hold a discussion on the nine issues raised in her letter, Ms. Gandhi referred to the “continued agony faced by people of Manipur and breakdown of Constitutional machinery and social harmony in the State”.
Ms. Gandhi also raised the issue of border transgressions and noted that there is “continued occupation of Indian territory by China and challenges to our sovereignty on our borders in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh”.
“We most certainly want to participate in the Special Session because it will give us an opportunity to raise matters of public concern and importance. I earnestly hope that time will be allocated under the appropriate Rules for a discussion and debate on these issues,” she said.
“I earnestly hope that in a spirit of constructive cooperation, these issues will be taken up in the forthcoming special session,” Ms. Gandhi added.
Releasing the letter at a press conference, Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh claimed that for the first time, no agenda had been discussed or listed in the business of the House.
Mr. Ramesh said the rules under which the issues raised by Ms. Gandhi can take place can be worked out through mutual discussion.
“All his [Mr. Modi’s] actions — his revival of a dead NDA (National Democratic Alliance) when our Bengaluru meeting was going on, his response to the formation of the INDIA group, his unilateral decision to call this five day session... These are all symbols of a panic-stricken administration. After nine years, it is a case of maximum fatigue, maximum panic,” Mr. Ramesh told reporters.
