Cong likely to move adjournment motion
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will be addressing a general body meeting of the CPP on Wednesday after succeeding in uniting the Opposition parties on key issues against the government during the Budget Session of Parliament.
Normally, the CPP general body meets at least twice during a Parliament session. First, in the first week of a session asking MPs to take part in the Parliament proceedings and remain active in the two Houses and secondly, in the last leg of a session.
Mrs Gandhi has virtually put the government on the defensive on the controversial land bill by projecting it as anti- farmer and pro- corporate and split the NDA and the Sangh Parivar on this issue. Mrs Gandhi is expected to take on the Modi dispensation in Parliament on Wednesday on the matter.
Sources said, Mrs Gandhi could give notice for an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday to discuss the “failure of institutional mechanism” in the country. Her Wednesday’s address is expected to give hints about the Congress’ line in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls, which will be crucial for the ruling BJP after its debacle in the Delhi poll battle.
Mrs Gandhi will also be hosting a dinner for her party MPs and the CWC members on Wednesday. On Tuesday, she held a meeting of the Congress members in the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, the Congress expressed “surprise and shock” at the Centre’s stand that it was not aware of the location of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and said Pakistan’s ISI would have given a similar reply had it been asked the same question. “This statement that the government does not know where Dawood Ibrahim is seems to repli- cate Pakistan’s official position on him... It is almost as if the Indian government’s reply is the same as that of the ISI themselves would have given had they been asked the same question. The ISI must be thankful about it,” Congress spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi told mediapersons.
He said the Congress is “surprised and shocked” over the stand taken by the BJP government in Parliament on Tuesday.
“The subject has not been located so far. Extradition process with regard to Dawood Ibrahim would be initiated once the subject is located,” MoS Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary had said. Insisting that the statement is shocking on two accounts, Mr Gogoi said, “It is shocking because during the election campaign ( Narendra) Modi had made a strong and vociferous pitch saying that once he becomes the PM, Dawood would be brought back to India.”