JOIN USRahul Gandhi to meet Opposition MPs over breakfast on August 3
Increasing his engagement with like-minded parties, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will host a breakfast meeting for Opposition MPs in Parliament on Tuesday in an exercise meant to inject more cohesiveness in the fight against the Narendra Modi government.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the continuing stalemate in Parliament over the demand for a discussion on the controversial Pegasus snooping episode. The Opposition has been demanding a discussion but the government has not agreed to it claiming it is a "non-issue".
This is the first time Rahul will be holding such a meeting with Opposition lawmakers. In the last one week, he had two meetings with Opposition floor leaders -- Opposition floor leaders in Lok Sabha on July 27 followed by attending a meeting of floor leaders in both the Houses chaired by the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge the next day.
"Sitting with the entire opposition is extremely humbling. Amazing experience, wisdom and insight in everyone present," Rahul had tweeted on July 28.
Sources said the meeting by Rahul could help in taking forward the next course of action as the government remains adamant over not allowing a discussion on Pegasus.
There is a thinking in a section of the Opposition that there is a need to find a way to raise issues other than Pegasus while not taking the focus from it. The Opposition also feels that the government is taking it as an opportunity to pass Bills without discussion and scrutiny by Parliamentary Standing Committees.
Sources said Left leaders have suggested holding a 'mock Parliament' outside Parliament to highlight that the government is disrupting the proceedings. This issue could come up for discussion among other things in Tuesday's meeting though a section of the Opposition leaders is not comfortable with the idea.
Amid speculation that the government may curtail the Monsoon Session after passing bills to replace ordinances, Opposition leaders said the government has not indicated anything like that. "At present, we are not thinking in that direction," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said.
The Opposition leaders are also expected to discuss the passing of Bills in din. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien tweeted, "#MASTERSTROKE #Parliament. In the first 10 days, Modi-Shah rushed through and passed 12 Bills at an average time of UNDER SEVEN MINUTES per Bill...Passing legislation or making papri chaat!"
Opposition leaders said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Kharge but there has been no headway. Kharge, who has complained to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu that Opposition leaders are not given an opportunity to speak in the House, is learnt to have told Singh over phone that he should call a meeting of all Opposition floor leaders to find a way out.