Seeking to ensure larger opposition unity to corner the Government in Parliament, Congress today said it is coordinating with all parties on important issues like Arunachal Pradesh to be raised during the Monsoon session to help raise a collective voice.
"The Congress Party is coordinating with the like-minded Opposition parties, so that a collective voice is raised on important issues concerning the nation. Unlike what has been said, Congress has effectively coordinated with the opposition while playing its role as principal opposition party," senior Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said.
The deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha said Congress will raise in both Houses the issue of "assault on federal structure and constitutional democracy", in reference to Government's moves to dislodge its governments in Arunachal and Uttarakhand.
Sharma said Congress will support Bills that deserve merit and laws that have the backing of a broad consensus.
"Those Bills where consensus has not reached will not have the support of the Opposition Party unless and until the Government reaches a total consensus," he said.
It will raise matters of national interest and concern and hold the Government to account where we feel it is in public interest to do so, he said.
"The first notice we gave on Kashmir turbulence was accepted and the discussion took place in Rajya Sabha today. The second notice we have given is on federal structure which the Government is constantly attacking by dislodging democratically elected governments in Arunachal, Uttarakhand and again Arunachal. We will raise this issue in both the Houses," Sharma said.
Among priority issues for the current session he listed inflation and rise in the prices of food items, economic situation, unemployment and retrenchment.
Sharma, former Commerce minister, also said that the Congress will seek a discussion on foreign policy in light of Prime Minister's recent foreign trips and the rejection of India's bid to enter the NSG.
"Prime Minister visited many nations including the US, Mexico, Africa. We will debate these issues as to what the talks were about, what the outcomes were and how Indian interests were taken forward.
"Most of these trips happened before India's NSG entry bid at Seoul. It is sad that the Prime Minister is not taking the opposition into confidence on important issues," Sharma said adding that the Congress wants to know what understanding the PM reached with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and with the US.
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The Congress leader said it has expressed reservations on the Enemy Property Bill which has been conveyed to Government.
"This is a sensitive matter irrespective of recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee which were not unanimous; the Government will have to sit with the Opposition in an effort to reach a consensus before this bill is taken up," he said.
On the Compensatory Afforestation Act, he said though it has been through the scrutiny of the Standing Committee, it is "not satisfied" with the manner in which the Bill is drafted.
"There are issues of the Gram Sabha which Congress Party has raised and we have demanded and advised the Government to take up this Bill only after the Congress Party's concerns have been fully addressed and the Bill has been amended accordingly," he said.
