I.N.D.I.A bloc to participate in Parliament special session, Sonia writes to PM Modi highlighting nine key issues

• The I.N.D.I.A bloc meeting was held amid the backdrop of the ‘India versus Bharat’ controversy which has triggered a huge political row in the country. 
• The 24 parties of the I.N.D.I.A bloc have agreed to participate in the special session of the Parliament scheduled to begin on September 18. 
• Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of these 24 parties raising nine major issues. 

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of these 24 parties. This decision was taken at a meeting of I.N.D.I.A bloc floor leaders. She has raised nine major issues in the letter including- inflation, farmers, MSP and Manipur violence, etc. Here are the nine key issues:

1. Inflation, attack on micro and small-scale industries
2. The government had earlier talked with farmer organizations and some agreements, and promises were made, what is the status on that matter, what is the government’s strategy on MSP now?
3. In a matter of the revelations about the Adani Group, JPC should be formed
4. The cast census of 2021, which is done after every ten years, has not been done so far
5. Sonia Gandhi said that there should be a discussion on matters related to the federal structure which is ‘under attack
6. Flood and drought are natural disasters, but till now it has been declared natural disaster, it should be discussed in the Parliament
7. The issue of China, the words spoken on this matter have been given a clean chit by PM Modi. A collective resolution should be placed before the world by the Parliament
8. There is communal tension in different states, it should be discussed
9. It has already been four months since the tense situation commenced in Manipur

The I.N.D.I.A bloc meeting was held amid the backdrop of the ‘India versus Bharat’ controversy which has triggered a huge political row in the country. In a surprise move, the official invites to heads of state for a dinner on September 9 (Saturday) in Delhi were drafted to be from the “President of Bharat” instead of the “President of India”.

Earlier last week, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi informed about the five-day special session of Parliament from September 18-22. The agenda for the special session was however not revealed yet. The Centre on Saturday (September 2) constituted an eight-member committee to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections in the country.

The members of the committee, apart from former President Ram Nath Kovind, include Union Home Minister Amit Shah; Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury; former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad; former Finance Commission chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve and former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament, which concluded last month, was held in the old Parliament building. The announcement of the Special Session came as a surprise in political circles with the parties gearing up for assembly polls in five states later this year.

(With inputs from agencies