Oppn MPs pedal to Parliament on fuel price hike after Rahul's meet with 15 parties

Pedalling around Parliament precincts, shouting slogans and waving posters, leaders of 15 Opposition parties, after a breakfast meeting with Rahul Gandhi, protested in the national capital against Pegasus, fuel price hike and farm bills on Tuesday.

MPs including Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, RJD's Manoj Jha took to a cycle march on Raisina Road to oppose the hike in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas cylinders, the second such protest after Rahul Gandhi last week rode a tractor to Parliament to express solidarity with the protesting farmers against the three contentious farm laws passed by the government last year.

Some, who could not cycle, walked down to Parliament. Television media crews followed the leaders on bicycles, creating quite a spectacle near Parliament. At the meeting, the leaders batted for a joint Parliamentary strategy.

Those who attended the meeting included Saugata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Mohua Moitra (TMC), Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena), Manoj Jha (RJD), Kanimozhi (DMK) and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP).

"The single motive to invite you is that we should unite.The more this voice unites, the more powerful it will become, the more difficult it will become for the BJP and RSS to suppress this voice," Gandhi said at the meeting.

Tweeting photos of the meeting with Opposition leaders numbering more than 100, Rahul Gandhi said, "One priority- our country, our people."

"By trying to silence the Opposition, the Modi government is trying to silence the voice of almost 60% of the country. But we stand together as a united Opposition & we will not allow anyone to drown our voice. I am grateful to all the leaders who took the time to attend today's meeting, " Gandhi later said on Instagram.

On the cycle march, he said on Twitter, "Neither are our faces important nor our names. What is only necessary is that we are public representatives and each one of these faces reflects crores of faces, who are disturbed due to price rise. Are these good days?"

Speaking at the meeting he said, "Within the foundations of unity, we can have a few discussions and arguments but I think it is important for us to come up with the principles of the foundations of our unity.""As far as fuel prices are concerned, people of India are struggling. They have to pay a lot of money... So I thought symbolically if we go from here to Parliament on cycle, it would have an interesting impact, it will also have media impact as well. People will see that Opposition feels the pain of fuel price hike," Gandhi said those Opposition members who are comfortable riding a cycle to do this

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted, "after a sumptuous breakfast, leaders of eleven Opposition parties spoke briefly about the importance of unity in Parliament and on the ground in the struggle against the anti-people policies and undemocratic actions of the BJP government. We are witnessing something special here".

Trinamool Congress, which was keeping away from in-house meetings of the Opposition called by Congress, however, attended both the meeting and the cycle march on Tuesday. This was days after Mamata Banerjee had a meeting with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at Sonia's residence 10 Janpath during the West Bengal Chief Minister's five day visit to Delhi starting July 26.

Members of BSP and APP, which will be contesting elections separately from Congress in UP and Punjab, however, stayed off the meeting and cycle protest on Tuesday. Leaders from "like-minded parties" TMC, DMK, NCP, Shiv Sena, RJD, Samajwadi Party, CPI-M, CPI, RSP, IUML, JMM, KCM, National Conference and LJD took part in the breakfast meeting hosted by Rahul Gandhi at the Constitution Club.

Soon after the meeting, Gandhi led the cycle March with Opposition MPs passing through Constitution Club and Raisina Road and culminating at Parliament gate number-4. Earlier on farmers' issues had led a tractor march to Parliament last week.

There was also a proposal to hold a parallel session at Vijay Chowk mooted by RSP MP. But others felt the Opposition should not leave the field open for the government in actual Parliament by holding a parallel Parliament outside. Government has even now managed to push its legislative agenda and passed a number of bills in the din of the House.

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Disruptions in both Houses on Pegasus planned

Immediately after the cycle rally, Rajya Sabha was adjourned. As numbers between the ruling combine and Opposition are closer to equal in the Upper House, the Rajya Saba was more hit by disruptions than Lok Sabha.

There was also a proposal to hold a parallel session at Vijay Chowk mooted by RSP MPs. But others felt that Opposition should not leave the field open for the government in actual Parliament by holding a parallel Parliament outside.

While the government, which has even now managed to push its legislative agenda and passed a number of bills in the din of the House.The impact of Opposition's united efforts to disrupt the Houses on issues like Pegasus, farm bills and price hike was visible more in Rajya Sabha where both sides have almost equal strength.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, however, said, "we do not want to rush through bills. Rajnath ji Amit Shah is talking to all Opposition leaders daily. when the Opposition leaders go to talk to Singh and Shah, some say we are ready but Congress is not ready to run the House while Congress leaders say they are ready but Opposition leaders are not."

He also dismissed Rahul Gandhi's attack on the government saying, "there is no seriousness in what Rahul Gandhi says."

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hit out at Gandhi accusing of indulging in "gimmicks for cheap publicity" and slammed the "rant and run" tactics of the Opposition to hijack parliamentary proceedings and defame the government. "In their Modi-bashing, the opposition has been resorting to India-bashing," he alleged.