Parliament special session: Congress demands discussion on Manipur, Adani Group, communal strife

The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the upcoming special session of Parliament should include a discussion on nine subjects among them a joint Parliamentary committee investigation into allegations of illegal dealings by the Adani Group and a rise in communal strife in the country.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said that the session scheduled to be held from September 18 to September 22 has been convened without consulting any of the Opposition parties.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government, however, has denied the charge and claimed the session has been called after following procedures.

The government has not specified an agenda for the special session. There will be no Question Hour and private members’ business will not be conducted during the session.

“We most certainly want to participate in the special session because it will give us an opportunity to raise matters of public concern and importance,” Gandhi wrote in her letter. “I earnestly hope that time will be allocated under the appropriate Rules for a discussion and debate on these issues.”

Among the nine subjects that the Congress wants to discuss are rising prices, the ethnic conflict in Manipur, Chinese incursion into Indian territory and the need for a caste census.

The party...

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