Congress and allies had upper hand during first phase of Budget Session: Rahul Gandhi to party leaders

The LoP asked the lawmakers to stand firmly with the farmers against the "injustice" meted out to them through the India-US interim trade deal, which he claimed was a "sell-out".

New Delhi: Amid the government and the Opposition fighting for dominance in Parliament, top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday told party's Lok Sabha MPs that the party and its allies had the upper hand during the first phase of Budget Session during which they managed to corner the government on a variety of issues.

At a meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs here this evening, sources said the Leader of the Opposition asked the lawmakers to stand firmly with the farmers against the "injustice" meted out to them through the India-US interim trade deal, which he claimed was a "sell-out".

He said the MPs will have to take the message to the masses across the country about how the deal was detrimental to the interests of the party.

At the meeting attended by Congress General Secretaries and senior MPs KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Chief Whip Kodikkunnil Suresh and Whips Mohd Jawed and Manickam Tagore, he congratulated the seven party MPs, including Hibi Eden and Dean Kuriakose, for forcefully taking up people's issues.

The MPs were suspended as they protested against not allowing Rahul to raise contentious issues and conclude his speech in Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in Lok Sabha.

Tagore, one of the seven Congress MPs who were suspended, posted on 'X' after the meeting, “We thank our leader for specially appreciating the courage and commitment of the eight suspended MPs who stood firm in raising the voice of the people. Democracy demands accountability, and our MPs upheld it with dignity.”