Cong plans nationwide protests

After petitioning President Pranab Mukherjee on “growing intolerance”, the Congress plans to take the protests nationwide with demonstrations in every district against the Modi government.

The protests could reach its crescendo in time for the Winter Session of Parliament expected to begin on November 26 thus enabling the Opposition to target the government on the issue.

“We will now carry demonstrations in state headquarters and district headquarters,” a senior Congress leader said adding vice-president Rahul Gandhi may also visit a few places to take part in the protests against “growing incidents” of intolerance in the country.

Asked whether the issue would figure prominently in Parliament, the Congress strategist said “things are yet to be planned for the Winter Session”.

Sensing trouble from the Congress during the upcoming session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday declared that the government was ready for a discussion on intolerance in Parliament.“We can discuss intolerance at length. First my suggestion to Congress is to have tolerance and allow Parliament to function,” he said.

Naidu said during the debate issues such as imposition of Emergency, gagging the media, superseding judges, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits can also be discussed.

The Modi government wants to push the Goods and Services Tax Bill so that it could roll out the new indirect tax regime from April 1 next year. The Congress has suggested a few amendments without which it has refused to extend its support to pass the legislation.