All-party meet: Opp raises eatery, NEET rows

New Delhi, July 21: Opposition parties drew the battle lines on the eve of Parliament’s Budget session on Sunday as they asked the government at an all-party meeting to allow discussion on a host of contentious issues such as the Uttar Pradesh government’s order to eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route and exam paper leaks, including of the prestigious NEET.
The government, which breaking from the recent practice invited a number of smaller parties for the meeting to signal its political outreach, conveyed its willingness to discuss all issues but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stressed that it should be in accordance with the rules.
He called for cooperation from all parties for running Parliament smoothly, saying it is a collective responsibility. Chairing the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke against disruptions in Parliament and said its sanctity must be maintained.
BJP allies as well as opposition parties came together in seeking special category status for different states, presenting the government with a tricky issue to negotiate during the session, Representatives from the JD(U), a BJP ally, the BJD and the YSR Congress Party demanded the status for Bihar, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, at the meeting of 44 parties, including some having only one MP. Opposition RJD and BJP ally LJP (Ram Vilas) echoed the demand for Bihar. Congress leader K Suresh told reporters that his party was joined by other INDIA bloc members in seeking the Lok Sabha deputy speaker’s position for the opposition according to convention. (PTI)