Opposition Parties Boycott Speaker's Meeting After Contentious Parliament Session
Three major opposition parties, Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool Congress, boycotted a customary meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The decision followed an acrimonious monsoon parliamentary session where key opposition demands for debate were not met.
Key takeaways
- Major opposition parties, including Congress, SP, and TMC, boycotted a customary meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
- The boycott occurred after a contentious monsoon parliamentary session marked by disruptions and unaddressed opposition demands.
- Reasons cited for the boycott include the passage of bills amid disorder and failure to debate key issues like police excesses.
- The TMC also cited pending petitions for the disqualification of 20 defectors as a reason for their absence.
What Happened
The Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC) declined to attend a customary meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. This action occurred after the conclusion of a contentious monsoon session of Parliament on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were among the leaders present at the meeting. A Congress leader stated that the decision to boycott was not directed at the Speaker personally but stemmed from a perception that the session lacked substantive discussion. The leader cited the passage of bills amidst disorder and the unaddressed demands for debates on alleged police excesses against students and a donation-related issue in Ayodhya as reasons for their dissatisfaction.
The Trinamool Congress's boycott was specifically linked to the pending status of their petitions seeking the disqualification of 20 defectors, which they had submitted to Speaker Birla.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party did attend the meeting.
Background
The monsoon session was significantly disrupted. Opposition parties had insisted on a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah concerning allegations of police excesses and the use of pellet guns during a protest march on July 20. They had also demanded the resignation of the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Rahul Gandhi, serving as the Leader of the Opposition, has reportedly abstained from these meetings for several previous sessions. In a past instance in December, Congress lawmaker Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had attended a similar meeting and discussed issues concerning Kerala with Prime Minister Modi.
Key Facts
- The Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC) boycotted a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
- The meeting followed an acrimonious monsoon session of Parliament which ended on Thursday.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the meeting.
- A Congress leader cited the passage of bills in din and unfulfilled demands for debates on police excess against students and donation theft in Ayodhya as reasons for the boycott.
- The TMC boycotted the meeting due to pending petitions to the Speaker regarding the disqualification of 20 defectors.
- The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) attended the meeting.
- Opposition parties had demanded a statement from Amit Shah over alleged police excesses and use of pellet guns during a July 20 protest march.
- Opposition parties had also demanded the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
Related stories
Parliament Approves Mines and Minerals Bill, Limiting State Tax Powers
Ex-TMC MLA Arrested for Allegedly Forcing 'Hasty Cremation' of Rape-Murder Victim
Rajya Sabha Productivity Plummets to 39% Amidst Monsoon Session Disruptions
