Rahul to hold breakfast meet on Tuesday to discuss joint oppn strategy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will meet the leaders of the opposition parties at breakfast on Tuesday morning to discuss joint strategy for the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament to corner the government on people centric issues.

Opposition parties are mulling an idea of holding mock parliament after their demand of discussion on snooping controversy has not been met by the government.

Sources say that in Monday's opposition meet the idea was floated by some political parties but final decision may be taken on Tuesday when the floor leaders of both the houses of the opposition parties will meet on breakfast with Rahul Gandhi.

The invitation has been sent by the office of Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, sources said and the venue is Constitutional Club.

The impasse between the government and the opposition continued on Monday as session entered third week since the commencement.

The flashpoint is the Pegasus project snooping controversy on which the opposition demands discussion but the government says that after IT Minister's statement only clarification can be sought. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has termed it a "non issue".

Amid the blame game, sources have said that both Houses of parliament could function for only 18 hours in 105 hours of scheduled sitting till last week.

In the upper house, a proper debate was witnessed only on Covid while the Lok Sabha could not see any debate, though the government passed important legislations in both Houses of the parliament.

In Rajya Sabha in approximately 11 hours of work, the government managed to pass amendments to Marine Aids Bill, Juvenile Justice Bill and Coconut Board Bill amongst others amid din.

The Lok Sabha, on the other hand, passed the IBC Bill in 7 hours of work while both houses witnessed unruly scenes as TMC MP in the Rajya Sabha, Santanu Sen was suspended for tearing papers after snatching it from the IT Minister, while in the Lok Sabha, MPs from the opposition parties threw papers in the House.-IANS