All-party meet: Congress seeks Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's post for opposition, raises NEET issue, sources say

Budget Session: The government today (July 21) convened an all-party meeting at the Main Committee Room, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and was convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on July 22 and will conclude on August 12. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union budget in Parliament on July 23.

Notable attendees include Tiruchi Shiva, AIUML leader E.T. Mohammad Basheer, Jana Sena Party leader Bala Krishna, BJD leader Sasmit Patra, JDU leader Sanjay Jha, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale, Praful Patel, Chirag Paswan, and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and BJP President JP Nadda are also present.

Congress raises NEET issue

In an all-party meeting, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi raised the issues of NEET and alleged misuse of central agencies like ED and CBI. Congress has also sought the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's post for the opposition, according to sources.

Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav raised the issue of nameplates on food shops on the Kanwar route in Uttar Pradesh.

Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari said, "Traditionally, an all-party meeting is held so that we can raise issues related to the proceedings of the House. We want to discuss issues like inflation, unemployment, paper leaks, security issues related to China, removal of statues in Parliament, farmers, labourers, Manipur, rail accidents. We will also make full efforts to discuss the issue of NEET."

TMC skips meeting

However, leaders from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) were absent as they were in West Bengal observing Martyrs Day. The July 21 Martyrs' Day is observed in memory of 13 Congress supporters who were killed in 1993 when the Kolkata Police opened fire during a march to the state secretariat, Writers' Buildings, while the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in West Bengal.

At that time, Mamata Banerjee was the state Youth Congress chief. She has continued to commemorate the day with a rally each year, even after founding the Trinamool Congress on January 1, 1998.

First budget of Modi 3.0 govt

This is the first budget session after the conclusion of the general elections and the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha. In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP and its allies managed to retain the treasury bench in the Parliament. Accordingly, the budget which will be presented in this session will be the first in their third term. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union budget in the house on July 23 which will be followed by a discussion in both the houses.

In the first Parliament session following the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha, the opposition INDIA bloc raised several issues, including the recent NEET controversy, the situation in Manipur, and rising prices, leading to disruptions and adjournments.

Protests also occurred in both Houses during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. In the Lok Sabha, opposition MPs shouted slogans demanding a statement on Manipur during the Prime Minister's speech, while in the Rajya Sabha, the opposition staged a walkout.

(With agencies input)