The decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

NEW DELHI — The Congress will raise issues like farmers’ distress, Chinese incursions, relief package to Covid victims, selling of Air India, and other key issues during the Budget session of Parliament.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group which was chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The meeting comes ahead of Centre’s all-party meet on Monday convened for smooth functioning of the house in the Bugdet session.

MPs Mallikarjun Kharge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, A.K. Antony, K.C. Venugopal, Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, K. Suresh, Jairam Ramesh, Manickam Tagore, Manish Tewari among others attended the meeting.

In the winter session, the opposition was divided with TMC parting ways from Congress and despite suspension of MPs no joint strategy was reached though Congress had tried its level best to keep TMC with them. Some fence sitters like TRS had joined opposition rank on the issue of paddy procurement in Telangana.

On Monday, the meeting of the floor leaders will be held virtually at 3 p.m. where the government will discuss the agenda and Legislative business it would likely follow in the session.

The Budget Session will commence on the same day with the Presidential address at 11 a.m. followed by the laying of the Economic Survey. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on February 1.

Taking to Twitter, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said: “1st part of the #BudgetSession to commence on 31st January, with the address of the Hon’ble President to both the Houses. On 1st February, Hon’ble FM @nsitharaman ji will present the Union Budget. To ensure Covid safety protocol, the two Houses of Parliament will function in shifts.”