Sonia Gandhi to attend Congress Lok Sabha MPs meeting to chalk out Winter Session plan

A meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs will be held at 10.15 am on Thursday at Congress Parliamentary Party Office in Parliament to chalk out the strategy for the Floor of the House. Former party president Sonia Gandhi is likely to attend the meeting.

The winter session of Parliament commenced on Wednesday. The session will have 17 sittings before it concludes on December 29. 

This was the first session of Parliament after Mallikarjun Kharge took over as Congress President. Last week, the grand old party had decided that it would seek discussions on the Economic Weaker Section (EWS) reservation, the state of the economy and the border situation during this session.

Congress is also likely to raise the issue of the "weakening" of constitutional institutions in the country. The party said that the Centre should come out with a caste census report as many states have demanded it.

We are not allowed to speak in Parliament, alleges Rahul Gandhi

On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of "suppressing" institutions meant to uphold democracy and alleged that Opposition members were not allowed to raise issues in Parliament.

Gandhi, who is likely to skip the winter session due to Bharat Jodo Yatra, said, "India is a democratic country and separate institutions work to defend and protect democracy. These institutions include Assemblies, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, judiciary, media.... but the BJP and the RSS have suppressed all these."

"They have installed their men in all these institutions. If we want to deliver a speech in Parliament whether it is on demonetisation, GST, farmers' bill, or even on China that has occupied our land, our mike is turned off, we are not allowed to speak, we keep shouting in parliament house, the video camera does not turn to our side," the Wayand MP added.