"Won't sit only for Modi chalisa, will raise issues in every session", says Congress on Parliament's special session

The Congress on Tuesday said it will constructively participate in the upcoming special session of Parliament convened from September 18 to 22, but made it clear that it won't sit there only for "Modi chalisa", demanding issues of public concern to also be raised during the five-day sitting.

The party's stance was decided at a strategy group meeting chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, where leaders of the Congress in both Houses were also present.

The interaction came ahead of the dinner meeting convened by Kharge at his residence for floor leaders of other parties of the INDIA alliance of the opposition. Leaders of various parties attended the dinner meeting.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh told reporters that it is for the first time that the government has not taken the opposition parties into confidence and not discussed the agenda for the upcoming



session.

He asserted that it is impossible to have only government business during the five-day sitting while offering to participate in the proceedings of both Houses hoping that the dispensation will allow them to raise issues of public importance.

"We are not going to sit only for Modi chalisa. We will surely demand from the government and try and raise our issues in every session. But, we have not been getting an opportunity to raise them in the previous sessions.

"We hope that the opposition will also get an opportunity to raise their issues which are of concern to the people. Our demand would be that there should be discussion on those issues and with this sentiment we would participate in this special session," Ramesh told reporters.

He said whenever a special session is convened, all parties are told about the agenda in advance and there is a broad agenda prepared and discussed with various parties, including those of the opposition.