Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday met senior party colleagues to discuss strategy of the party’s moves to target the Government in Parliament in the upcoming Budget Session that is expected to take up a number of Bills and converting Ordinances into Acts.
According to sources, the leaders also discussed the strategy of floor coordination with other parties and how to put the Government on the mat on issues of public importance.
The meeting was attended by party veteran A K Antony, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leader in lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, its Chief Whip in the lower House Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress Deputy leader in Upper House Anand Sharma.
Parties under the Janta Parivar have already joined hands with the Congress on the land Acquisition issue and the Government is likely to face a united Opposition onslaught in the Parliament when the Bill to replace the Ordinance is brought before the House.
Congress has decided to target the Government in a big way on the land ordinance, both inside and outside the Parliament.Party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi will lead a protest at Jantar Mantar here on February 25 on the issue.
The protest is the culmination of the agitations being carried out by Congress at block, district and State levels. The event is being organised just a day before a protest by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare.
Former Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh will address a Kisan Mahapanchayat on Sunday in Chauroli village in Gautambuddha Nagar of Uttar Pradesh. He had earlier addressed a similar Mahapanchayat at Bhatta-Parsaul, Mirzapur and Gharbara.
Congress has been maintaining that land and Acquisition Bill, introduced through Ordinance, was not only anti-farmer but also “against the soul and spirit” of the Right to Fair Compensation law.