Opposition leaders hold meeting to chalk out strategy in Parliament; TMC absent

The meeting also comes after the Rajya Sabha suspended Congress member Rajani Patil from the House for the remainder of the Budget session, for circulating an unauthorised video of house proceedings.

Team Newsable

First Published Feb 13, 2023, 11:26 AM IST | Last Updated Feb 13, 2023, 11:26 AM IST

Leaders of 14 Opposition parties on Monday (February 13) held a meeting in the national capital to discuss their joint strategy in Parliament. It is reportedly said the leaders of Congress, RJD, DMK, NCP, JDU, AAP, Left parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament complex.

Speaking to reporters, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that Rahul Gandhi will respond to the notice given by Lok Sabha secretariat over his allegations on PM Modi and the BJP adding that what he said was already in public domain.

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"Whatever Rahul Gandhi had mentioned in the Parliament was already in the public domain and there is nothing unparliamentary about this. So he will respond to the notice accordingly," Kharge said.

"Since today is the last day (of the first part of the Budget session) in the Parliament, we will discuss how we can resolve this Adani issue and what our Chairman will be doing. Will also seek the opinion of the leaders of other parties," he added.

Meeting of the Opposition parties has begun with leaders from Congress, Nationalist Communist Party (NCP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), Janata Dal (United) (JDU), Communist Party of India (CPI), Kerala Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), and Muslim League in attendance while Trinamool Congress (PMC) remained absent.

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The meeting comes in the wake of continued attack on the government over the Adani issue and the demand for a joint Parliamentary Committee probe into it.

The meeting also comes after the Rajya Sabha suspended Congress member Rajani Patil from the House for the remainder of the Budget session, for circulating an unauthorised video of house proceedings. Patil had said it was not fair to give her the harshest punishment as she had not done anything deliberately.

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"I belong to a freedom fighter's family and I should be given natural justice. I have not done anything deliberately," Patil had said.

Adani Group stocks have taken a beating on the bourses after US-based short-selling firm Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the business conglomerate. The Adani Group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.

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