Monsoon Session: Congress to raise public issues, fears govt evasion

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi says the party will raise public issues like Manipur and Ayodhya in the Monsoon Session, fearing the govt will evade answers. The party and its allies will also strongly oppose the Delimitation Bill, seeking an all-party meet.

Congress to Raise Public Issues, Fears Govt Evasion

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday said the party will raise issues concerning the public during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament and questioned whether the Centre would respond to matters related to Ayodhya, the education system, the automobile industry, foreign policy and Manipur.

Speaking to ANI, Gogoi alleged that the government may not allow Parliament to function properly in order to avoid discussion on key issues. Expressing concern over the functioning of Parliament, the Congress leader alleged that the government wanted to evade accountability.

On the legislative agenda for the session, Gogoi said the Congress would discuss the proposed Bills with its INDIA bloc allies and other opposition parties before taking a collective decision. "We will raise all important issues which are foremost in the public's life. More important is: will the govt answer and give its response on Ayodhya, education system, the automobile industry, foreign policy and Manipur? My fear is that the government will not allow Parliament to run properly and it will not allow these issues to be raised because they want to run away from their responsibility on these important issues. Once the bills come, we will discuss with our alliance partners, with our opposition parties also, and a decision will be taken after due consensus," Gogoi said.

Opposition Hardens Stance on Delimitation Bill

Earlier today, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari emphasised that the stance of his party over the women's reservation bill is clear, claiming that the delimitation bill is being brought under its name. Speaking to ANI, Tiwari noted that Congress would oppose the delimitation bill and said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi urging to call an all-party meeting on the issue. "We have asked them to call an all-party meeting on the issue of delimitation. A similar letter was sent earlier as well, and it has been sent again. On women's reservation, our stand is clear. If delimitation is brought in the name of women's reservation, we will oppose it," he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an All-Party Meeting to discuss the government's "revised proposals" on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026. The Constitution Amendment Bill, linked to 33 per cent women's reservation in legislatures and delimitation in the Lok Sabha, was defeated in the Lower House on April 17, after it received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling significantly short of the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting.

Amid speculation around the Centre's bid to bring the Bill back in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, beginning on July 20, Kharge asked for "adequate time" to study the proposed legislation before its introduction in Parliament.

Kharge Writes to PM Modi Urging Discussion

In a letter to PM Modi, the Congress chief wrote, "All of March and April, 2026, I had been writing to Hon'ble Minister of Parliamentary Affairs requesting that the Union Government convene an All Party Meeting to discuss its proposals regarding Delimitation etc. Unfortunately, these requests had not been accepted. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, then failed to secure the required 2/3rd majority in Lok Sabha on 17 April, 2026 by a clear margin."

"I have been reading in media reports that the Union Government now proposes to reintroduce a revised (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. I would, once again, request you to convene an All-Party Meeting to discuss the Government's revised proposals on delimitation, etc., and give us adequate time to study them in detail before they are introduced in Parliament," the letter read.

Earlier, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the party would strongly oppose the proposed Delimitation Bill if it is reintroduced in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group, Ramesh said the party had held detailed discussions on the Bills that were likely to be introduced during the session. He added the party was yet to receive the government's official legislative agenda and would get details at the all-party meeting scheduled for July 19.

Reiterating the party's stand, Ramesh said, "Congress Party's stand has always been clear: we will strongly oppose the Delimitation Bill and continue to do so. We will make every effort to maintain unity among all opposition parties." He acknowledged that the NDA has a bigger strength now with 20 TMC MPs merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs joining the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, NCP(SCP) MP Supriya Sule has dismissed media reports suggesting the party will support the Union government's proposed Delimitation Bill, terming the depiction of the party's stand as "inaccurate and speculative." The Delimitation Bill aimed at increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850. (ANI)

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