Ahead of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session, which is scheduled to begin on 18 July, key Opposition leaders met in New Delhi on Monday, 16 July.
According to PTI, the Opposition chalked out strategies to corner the Narendra Modi-led BJP government on various issues.
Congress leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Jyotiraditya Scindia attended the meet, which was also attended by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar.
Speaking to ANI, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Opposition wanted the Parliament to function and accused the ruling party of disrupting the previous session.
It was a conventional meeting. All 13 parties decided that we want to see the Parliament function. Last time also, opposition wanted both houses to run. But they didn’t let Parliament work and we were blamed instead.Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress Leader
The parties reportedly held discussions on fielding a joint opposition candidate for the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, which fell vacant after the retirement of Congress leader PJ Kurien on 1 July.
The post may go to an NCP leader, reported PTI, quoting sources.
The ruling NDA is reportedly keen on fielding its candidate and is seeking the support of some parties like the Biju Janta Dal (BJD) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
The name of Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral is reportedly doing the rounds for the post from the ruling coalition.
Those in attendance at the meeting were Sukhendu Shekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress, along with Satish Chandra Misra of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Misa Bharti of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and TKS Elangovan of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK), D Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Mohd Salim of the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M).
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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