Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said if laws are made in haste, then they attract judicial scrutiny.
| Photo Credit: PTI
In a show of unity, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress, which have been questioning the Congress’s status as the lead Opposition party, participated in a meeting of Opposition parties hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament.
The AAP’s Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh and the Trinamool’s Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay were present at the meeting. Thirteen Opposition parties, including DMK, Trinamool, AAP, RJD, NCP, CPI(M), National Conference, Muslim League, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), RLD and MDMK, participated in the discussions.
Together they have zeroed in on nearly 20 issues that will be raised during the session, including inflation, unemployment, the prolonged stand off at the Indo-China border and the attack on the constitutional institutions of the country.
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“Parliament is the abode of democratic deliberation. We, the like-minded parties, will strongly raise all the issues relevant to our people. PM Narendra Modi ji spoke about the Opposition getting more chance to participate, therefore we expect the government to walk its talk,” Mr. Kharge tweeted after the meeting.
He also added, “If laws are made in haste, then they attract judicial scrutiny. Therefore, we expect that all important Bills should be sent to joint/select committees so that they are carefully examined. We are ready to extend full cooperation in parliamentary processes and debates.”
The decision to oppose the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill was taken at the meeting. The parties have also decided to oppose the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2022. At a meeting of the Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee held on Tuesday the Opposition demanded that the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill 2022 be sent to a select committee. The government rejected the idea. The Bill increases the exemption of certain categories of infrastructure project developers from approaching the Centre for permission to use forest land for non-forestry purposes.