A meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party was held on Thursday at the residence of party president Sonia Gandhi. Several senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, attended the meeting.
After the meeting, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party had discussed several proposed Bills and decided to oppose them in coordination with other opposition parties. He said Congress would strongly oppose the major Bills the government is expected to introduce during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Ramesh added that the party also plans to raise several key issues, including alleged irregularities in political funding. He said Congress would also raise what it described as alleged scams linked to the Ram Temple project in Ayodhya, as well as the NEET issue and the alleged E20 scam, in which he claimed several senior BJP leaders and their sons were involved.
Constitution Amendment Bill also to be discussed
Jairam Ramesh said the meeting also discussed the Constitution Amendment Bill related to the removal of judges.
He claimed the Union Home Minister was preparing to reintroduce the Delimitation Bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
According to Ramesh, the government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority for the Bill on 17 April and suffered a major setback. He said the government now wants to bring the Bill back.
Ramesh said the Congress had opposed the Delimitation Bill in the past and would continue to do so. He added that the party would also work to maintain unity among opposition parties on the issue.
He also said a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been set up to examine the Constitution Amendment Bill on the removal of judges, but opposition parties have boycotted the committee. He said the Congress would strongly oppose this Bill as well.
Congress to oppose Delimitation Bill
Jairam Ramesh said the party had learnt that the Union Home Minister was preparing to reintroduce the Delimitation Bill during the Monsoon Session.
He claimed the government had failed to secure the required two-thirds majority for the Bill on 17 April and had suffered a major setback.
According to Ramesh, the government now plans to bring the Bill back. He said Congress had opposed the Bill in the past and would continue to do so, while also working to keep opposition parties united on the issue.
Ramesh also said the meeting discussed the Constitution Amendment Bill related to the removal of judges.
He noted that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been formed to examine the Bill, but opposition parties have boycotted it. He said Congress would strongly oppose this Bill as well.
Congress to oppose FCRA Amendment Bill
Ramesh said if the government introduces the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill during the Monsoon Session, Congress will strongly oppose it.
He also said the government may reintroduce the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill.
According to Ramesh, Congress had opposed the Bill earlier, forcing the government to withdraw it. He said the party would oppose it again if it is reintroduced.
Foreign policy issues to be raised
Ramesh said Congress also opposes the proposed amendments to the National Food Security Act, 2013, which forms the basis of the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. He said the party would strongly oppose any Bill seeking to amend the law.
He added that Congress does not see any Bill in the government’s current legislative agenda that it can support and will raise these issues both inside and outside Parliament.
Ramesh said the party would also focus on foreign policy challenges, including India’s relations with China and the United States, as well as the worsening situation in West Asia over the past one to two months.
