Congress to target government on Ram Temple theft and paper leak

In the monsoon session, Congress will question the government on issues like paper leaks and Ram Temple donation theft.

The Congress decided on Thursday that it will demand answers from the central government on several issues, including irregularities in the education system, paper leaks, Ram Temple donation theft, and the ethanol blending policy, during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. The party clarified that issues related to foreign policy, the rights of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and minorities will also be on its main agenda.

To finalise the parliamentary strategy for the Monsoon Session, a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) was held at the residence of CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at '10 Janpath' on Thursday afternoon. The meeting was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Chief Whip of Congress in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, and several senior leaders.

After the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge posted on the social media platform 'X', stating,

Alleged irregularities in the Ram Temple donations, paper leaks, and the "systematic decline" of the education system, capture of institutions, attempts to break political parties, various scams and corruption allegations, rising inflation, alleged failures in foreign policy, the imposition of ethanol blending on 3.5 crore vehicle owners, rampant deforestation, and alleged attacks on the rights of SC, ST, OBC, and minorities are key issues on which Congress will seek answers from the Modi government during the Monsoon Session.

After the meeting, General Secretary Jairam Ramesh and MP Nasir Hussain held a joint press conference. They stated that

Congress will oppose the major bills that the government is preparing to introduce. The party has announced its opposition to the delimitation, constitutional amendment, 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE), proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and potential changes to the National Food Security Act.

Jairam Ramesh said that the government has not yet formally clarified which bills will be introduced in the Monsoon Session. Therefore, potential bills were discussed in detail during the meeting. He informed that in the all-party meeting scheduled for July 19, Congress will seek information from the government on the proposed bills. Additionally, the party will demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Congress also raised questions on the current process of the all-party meeting. Jairam Ramesh said that this meeting has now become merely a formality. According to him, leaders of various parties express their views in the meeting, but the final decisions are taken by only a few people, and the suggestions of the opposition are not taken seriously.

On the issue of delimitation, Congress made it clear that if the government brings any bill in this regard, it will be opposed with full force. The party will attempt to unite the entire opposition on this issue. Any proposal related to constitutional amendment will also be opposed. Jairam Ramesh alleged that the BJP is trying to achieve a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha by breaking political parties and other means, which is against the spirit of the Constitution.

The meeting also discussed the proposal related to 'One Nation, One Election' and the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed on it. Congress reiterated that it will not support this proposal. The party stated that it will oppose any bill related to holding elections for MPs, MLAs, Chief Ministers, and the Prime Minister simultaneously, both inside and outside Parliament.