Sonia Gandhi calls a meeting of 18 leaders to take on Modi govt

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of 18 Opposition leaders to take on the Centre over whole host of issues ranging from attack on the federal structure of the Constitution to the ongoing migrant labourer crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Congress, Left and a few other Opposition parties have been very critical of the government over their dealing with Covid-19, extension of lockdown, insensitive handling of the migrant issue and economic slowdown and how Rs 20 lakh crore package is just not enough. This meeting will be held through video conferencing. Sonia Gandhi and these leaders are also likely to discuss why legislative business and crucial standing committee have been kept aside.

According to former minister and member of standing committee on finance Manish, Tiwari his request to the Lok Sabha Speaker and his chairman Jayant Sinha to call the meeting through video conference has not received any response. “The whole world is meeting through video conference.

The meeting of the standing committee would ensure responsibility and fix it. Since 23 March Parliament has been closed but till now there is no SOPs for movement of an MP,” said Tiwari. The Congress is hopeful that this time the Opposition parties would come around as they have also been critical of the “attack” on the federal structure by the Centre in the time of Covid-19.