With almost two weeks to go for the remaining part of the Budget Session in Parliament, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of the Parliamentary Party on Tuesday to discuss the current political situation, strategy in both Houses of Parliament and the way forward to corner the government on range of issues including price rise and diplomatic relations.
Congress has been seeking to corner the Government on the issue of rising inflation and hike in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG gas, besides the economic situation in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
All Congress parliamentarians in the Lok Sabha as well as the Rajya Sabha will attend the meeting in the central hall of Parliament scheduled on April 5. While Sonia is being noticed as being vocal and raising issues herself frequently after facing the heat of party colleagues over massive assembly poll debacle recently, this is the first meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party after the assembly elections results.
Earlier she had convened a meeting of Congress Working Committee to discuss on the poll debacle and to own up the responsibility for the humiliating defeat. While another round of CWC is to be held anytime this month, a Chintan Shivir has also been proposed later this month or early next month. In between a meeting of the State Congress chiefs and general secretaries were conducted last week to develop strategy to strengthen the party and to do a series of protest on price rise across the country.
The CWC had unanimously decided that party president Sonia Gandhi should continue in the post till organisational polls after she expressed readiness to "make any and every sacrifice" in the party's interest.
Meanwhile the party has extended the March 31 deadline for its nationwide membership drive to April 15. The membership drive that started on November 1 last year is both in online and physical mode and was to continue till March 31. The membership has crossed 1.2 crore, according to a party source.
"The Congress president has approved the proposal of the AICC GSs and Incharges for extension of the special membership drive for 15 days. The drive will now close on April 15, 2022, without affecting the schedule of Organisational Elections approved by the CWC," AICC general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said.