Cong wants Spl Parl session

Sonia says Modi govt not taking responsibility of vaccinating citizens

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to President Ram Nath Kovind for convening an urgent session of Parliament to discuss the COVID situation in the country.

In his letter to the president, Chowdhury said it is important to convene a Parliament session in order to find a way to ease the lives of people suffering from novel coronavirus.

He described the pandemic situation in the country as grave and said there is a need to find a national solution to handle the issue.

"In this critical situation I would urge your kind conscience to convene a special (COVID crisis) session of Parliament because India consists of a number of constituencies and each member of Parliament representing his/her constituency from respective state has some say about the condition of people therein and in order to find a way to ease the lives of suffering people," he said in his letter.

The decision to convene a special session of Parliament was taken at a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party consisting of all party MPs on Friday.

Sonia fears third wave

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday expressed concern over a possible third Covid wave, accusing the Modi government of abdicating its responsibility and leaving the vaccination to the states.

In her opening remarks at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held through video conferencing on the party's poor performance in the recent Assembly elections, she said it would have been financially more equitable for the Centre to provide free vaccine to all. The meeting also discussed the election of the Congress President, and the schedule prepared for the organisational elections to complete the process of electing the party president by June end.

She announced to set up a small group to look at every aspect of serious setbacks to the party in the recent elections. "We need to candidly understand why in Kerala and Assam we failed to dislodge the incumbent governments, and why in West Bengal we drew a complete blank. These will yield uncomfortable lessons, but if we do not face up to the reality, we will not draw the right lessons," she said.