Rahul Gandhi, other Opposition leaders to submit joint adjournment motion on Pegasus in Lok Sabha

On Tuesday evening, floor leaders of 10 parties in Lok Sabha met in Parliament House to chalk out the future strategy

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders, including from DMK and Shiv Sena, will submit a joint adjournment motion on Pegasus issue in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, while a meeting of all "like-minded" parties in Parliament will be held to decide on the next course of action if the government ignores the demand.

Wednesday's meeting, prior to the sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, will be chaired by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by UPA parties as well as "like-minded" parties. Rahul will also attend the meeting, sources said.

On Tuesday evening, floor leaders of 10 parties in Lok Sabha -- Congress, CMK, NCP, Shiv Sena, CPI(M), RSP, Kerala Congress, Muslim League, National Conference and BSP -- met in Parliament House to chalk out the future strategy.

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BSP, which was keeping away from Opposition meetings, interestingly sent its representative Ritesh Pandey for the meeting chaired by Rahul.

Those attended the meeting also included T R Baalu and Kanimozhi (DMK), Supriya Sule (NCP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena), S Venkatesan and AM Ariff (CPI-M), ET Mohammed Basheer (Muslim League), Thomas Chazhikkadan (Kerala Congress), Hasnain Masoodi (National Conference) and N K Premachandran (RSP).

Sources said leaders of these parties, including Rahul, will move a joint adjournment motion in Lok Sabha in a show of strength seeking an immediate discussion on the Pegasus issue. Sources also said the BSP leader told them that he would first discuss with his party leadership on joint motion and convey the decision on Wednesday while emphasising that they stand with the Opposition on the issue otherwise.

"We want the government to respond to our queries. They are now misleading people by saying that Opposition is running away from debate. It is the other way round," Premachandran told DH.

Before the House assembles, the leaders of all "like-minded" parties in Parliament will meet to decide the strategy to be adopted if the government refuses to hold discussion on the issue.

Sources said the Opposition parties are mulling two options -- to meet and petition President Ram Nath Kovind or hold a joint press conference on the issue. Opposition leaders, including Rahul, are likely to address media before the start of proceedings in the House.

The meeting, to be chaired by Kharge who has been assigned by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to coordinate with other Opposition parties -- will see attendance of more parties, including Trinamool Congress, AAP and Samajwadi Party, among others.

Sources played down the absence of some of these parties in the meeting with Rahul saying leaders of all "like-minded" parties could not attend the meeting due to their pre-occupation.