The Congress party sought the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker’s position for the opposition during an all-party meeting on Sunday. The meeting was convened by the government ahead of the Parliament session, according to media reports. They also raised concerns about paper leaks, including the prestigious NEET exam.

Party leader Gaurav Gogoi emphasised the importance of allowing the opposition to raise issues in Parliament after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called for cooperation from all parties for the smooth functioning of the two Houses.

Key issues raised by opposition parties during meeting

Reports suggest that Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav raised concerns about the Uttar Pradesh government’s directive requiring eateries on the kanwariya route to display the owners’ names.

The YSR Congress discussed the alleged targeting of its leaders by the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh and sought intervention from the Centre.

The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju.

Demand for special category status 

Separately, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh mentioned that the JD(U) and the YSRCP demanded special category status for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, during the meeting. However, the TDP remained silent on the issue. Ramesh shared this in a post on X, noting that the JD(U) leader demanded special category status for Bihar, and the YSRCP leader did the same for Andhra Pradesh, while the TDP leader did not comment.

Recently, the JD(U), a key ally in the ruling NDA, passed a resolution demanding special category status or a package for Bihar. Similarly, leaders from Andhra Pradesh have renewed their demand for special category status post-Lok Sabha polls.

The meeting was attended by leaders including BJP president J P Nadda, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, and Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan. Defence Minister Singh and Rijiju presented the government’s perspective at the meeting.

Other attendees included Congress’ Jairam Ramesh and K Suresh, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, RJD’s Abhay Kushwaha, JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, and NCP’s Praful Patel.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Tuesday during the session beginning Monday. A united opposition plans to challenge the NDA government on various issues, including the NEET paper leak case and railway safety.

The session will start on Monday and will include 19 sittings until August 12. During this time, the government is expected to present six bills, including one to replace the 90-year-old Aircraft Act, and seek Parliament’s approval for the budget of Jammu and Kashmir, which is currently under central rule. Sitharaman will also present the Economic Survey in Parliament on Monday.