Monsoon session: Opposition to question government over fuel price, farmers' strike and Covid-19
Opposition parties are planning to move adjournment notices in both houses of Parliament over issues like farmer strike, Covid-19, and fuel prices
Addressing reporters ahead of the start of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday has urged MPs and political parties to ask the sharpest and toughest of questions to the government in the Monsoon session of Parliament, asserting that the government should also be allowed to respond to them.
The opposition parties are raring to question the government on a number of issues including management of Covid-19, rise in fuel prices, and farmers’ strike during the monsoon session which begins on Monday.
On July 18, Opposition parties organised a meeting after an all-party meet convened by the government to discuss the strategy for the monsoon session of Parliament.
Several opposition parties are planning to move adjournment notices in both houses of Parliament on Monday over issues pertaining to farmer strike and Covid-19 among others.
On Covid-19, the opposition will raise issues like the healthcare infrastructure problems during the second wave of the Covid pandemic and the vaccination drive in the states.
It will also demand the government’s action plan on the rising prices of petrol diesel and cooking gas during the session which would end on August 13.
Apart from that, the session will also hold a presentation, discussion, and voting on Excess Demands for Grants for the year 2017-18.
The separate meeting held by the opposition parties on Sunday was attended by leaders of the Congress, TMC, NCP, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, Shiv Sena, and the AAP. RSP leader N K Premachandran said that many opposition parties will give adjournment notices on the farmers’ issue in both houses of Parliament.
Earlier in the all-party meet chaired by Modi, opposition parties objected to the government’s offer for a joint address to all MPs by the prime minister on Covid-19 at the Parliament annexe. The opposition said this it aims to ‘bypass’ norms and will be ‘highly irregular’ at a time when Parliament will be in session.