New Delhi: Ahead of the monsoon session
of Parliament, leaders of the UPA allies today met here to
discuss their strategy to counter the Opposition which is
geared up to target the government on price rise and a host of
other issues.
"It was a coordination meeting of UPA allies.
Government is prepared to discuss any matter of interest and
concern to the members on the floor of the House," Home
Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the meeting.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson
Sonia Gandhi attended the meeting as also all the allies
except Railway Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee
and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP.
Chidambaram said that Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab
Mukherjee has already conveyed to Opposition leaders that
government was willing to discuss any matter of concern to the
members.
Besides price rise, Opposition will seek to corner the
government on Naxal threat, Indo-Pak stalemate, Karnataka
mining, controversy over the allocation of 2G Spectrum and
other issues.
Chidambaram, however, expressed confidence that the
monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 26 would be
smooth.
"Parliament session will remain smooth and a lot of
work will be done," he said.
Asked about the absence of Pawar and Banerjee, he
said that while Pawar could not come due to personal reasons,
Banerjee was in Bengal.
Chidambaram said various Bills, including those to be
introduced, were discussed in the meeting.
"We also identified a number of issues which the
political parties would like to raise in the House," he said.
Asked whether the Women`s Reservation Bill would be
introduced in the Lok Sabha, the Home Minister said he was not
talking about any specific Bill and it was for the Business
Advisory committee to take a decision.
Apart from the Prime Minister, the UPA Chairperson and
Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, senior NCP
leader Praful Patel, National Conference President Farooq
Abdullah, DMK leader T R Baalu and Political Secretary to
Congress President Ahmed Patel, were among others who attended
the meeting.
-PTI
