Budget Session: Congress to raise LAC standoff, farm crisis

New Delhi, January 28

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday chaired the meeting of the party’s parliamentary strategy group and decided to work with like-minded outfits on challenges confronting the nation, especially the job crisis, farmers’ distress and Chinese aggression along the LAC.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former ministers AK Antony, Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh and Manish Tewari attended the meeting.

Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu, also part of the group, was absent. Sources say he had informed the party of his campaign engagements in poll-bound Punjab.

The party decided to work with like-minded outfits and to raise farmers’ distress, Chinese incursions, demand for relief package for families of Covid victims, sale of Air India, and other key issues affecting people, said sources.

The Budget session of Parliament commences on January 31 with President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to both Houses of Parliament.

The government has convened an all-party meeting to discuss the session agenda the same day. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on February 1. The first part of the session will be held from January 31 to February 11.

LS Speaker Inspects House Facilities

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday inspected facilities in the Parliament House complex ahead of the Budget session. He issued instructions to ensure the safety of members, officials and media keeping in view the Covid situation. Birla was also briefed about the progress of the new Parliament building.