Govt reaches out to Opposition ahead of Monsoon Session

Newly-appointed leader of Rajya Sabha and Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday held consultations with former PM Manmohan Singh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning July 19 for which the government has also convened an all-party meeting on July 18 to reach out to Opposition parties for smooth conduct of legislative business.

Goyal also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence. Pawar later had a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Centre's initiatives to reach out to the Opposition has begun amid the possibility of a larger Opposition meeting on Parliamentary issues in the next few days.

"An all parties leaders meeting is convened by the government on the eve of the Monsoon Session 2021," a government release said.

Congress has entrusted its leader in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge to rope in other Opposition parties to work out common strategies on issues like Covid-19 and price rise on which it wants to corner the government.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had earlier given a call for an Opposition meeting, is also likely to visit the national capital this month.

The NCP boss had on July 14 stated that he was not in the race for contesting 2022 Presidential polls and nor had any discussion so far regarding 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Both speculations had gained traction after Pawar last month held a meeting with some leaders of Opposition parties and some like-minded eminent persons at his residence in New Delhi at the behest of the Rashtriya Manch — an organisation floated by Yashwant Sinha, the former Finance Minister and currently a Vice President in Trinamool Congress. It got a further lease of life when poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who had met Pawar thrice in past, had a two-hour-long meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in the national capital this week.

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