The Congress parliamentary panel on Thursday met to chalk out the strategy ahead of the Winter Session. Congress president Sonia Gandhi chaired the meeting held at her residence where key issues were discussed. A total of 18 issues were taken up during the meeting, including four core issues.
Sources said there was also a heated discussion during the meeting about Congress leaders joining the TMC. Some party leaders even said that the TMC is 'breaking' the Congress, which saw 12 of its MLAs including former Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma joining the Mamata Banerjee party.
Sources from AICC said Congress will demand the Bill for the repeal of the three farm laws to be tabled on the first day of the Winter Session. In addition, the party will ask the central government to bring a law guaranteeing MSP during the Parliament session starting November 29.
Apart from the resignation of Union minister Ajay Misra Teni, the Congress will also raise the issues of price rise and the India-China standoff in Ladakh in Parliament.
The Congress has also been raising the issue of Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of those who died of Covid-19.
Interestingly, the meeting comes at a time when Congress leaders in parts of the country are flocking to the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
In Uttar Pradesh, Congress MLA from Rai Bareli - Aditi Singh - joined the BJP in the presence of state party chief Swatantra Dev Singh.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, told reporters after the meeting, "We will move alongside other parties, whether TMC or others, we will contact and request all of them."
Kharge said that people from the Congress, Rahul Gandhi and others in the high command are looking into it.
Kharge said that the grand old party is prepared to corner the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in the winter session of the Parliament on issues ranging from Chinese aggression to inflation.
"As we did in the Monsoon Session, we will appeal to all parties to come together and seek redressal for the concerns of the people," Kharge said.
Member in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma called these issues important saying all of them will be raised.