All party meeting held ahead of budget session, Congress demands re-discussion on Rafale

New Delhi [India], Jan 30 (ANI): After the culmination of all-party meet in the parliament annexe here on Wednesday, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan expressed hope that the last session of 16th Lok Sabha will get time to discuss maximum number of issues and most members will get time to speak.
Mahajan said, "We had a meeting with all party leaders. This is the 17th and last session of this 16th Parliament. There will be President's address tomorrow, the budget will be presented on February 1 and there will be about 8 days of session more. Today most leaders have given assurance of support. We will try that maximum issues are raised and most parliamentarians are provided with an opportunity to speak."
"I believe Parliament is for discussions and on every issue must be discussed but no one should feel like the decision should be taken as per their will," she added.
While answering a question she also opined in favour of Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also attended the meeting and said that his party will once again seek time for discussion on Rafale and other issues.
Kharge said, "We have presented a lot of issues in this meeting for the discussion. This being the last session, more time must be given for discussion on the President's address because less time will not allow more members to speak. Secondly, we have said that the full budget must not be presented in the name of the interim budget. The budget must be limited to vote on account. We also said that new facts have come out on Rafale issue and we want that it must be taken for discussion again."
"Time must also be provided for discussion on Issues of farmers, MSP, unemployment, attack on autonomous bodies such as CBI, RBI, CVC," he added.
He also expressed hope to see Priyanka Gandhi in the next term of Lok Sabha and said, "She is a big leader and from wherever she will contest she will surely win, hence she will be seen in next Lok Sabha."
Samajwadi Parliamentarian Dharmendra Yadav accused the government of failing on all fronts and said, "Today government has a lot of challenges and it has failed to fulfil its promises. Samajwadi party leaders will raise these issues in parliament and also will go to the public on these factors. We will seek discussion on farmer issues, the abolition of roster system and other public welfare issues."
RJD leader Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav stated that this being the last session of this term of parliament, the opposition must be given maximum time to hold a discussion on all important issues.
"The meeting was concerning upcoming Lok Sabha session. We raised some strong question on behalf of our party and want to have a debate in Lok Sabha on these issues. We believe that the government has taken a U-turn on all promises. Youth, farmers have been deceived. We are constantly demanding for caste-based census, roster system has been removed from the universities and needs to be looked into; also issue of Citizenship bill was raised. This is the last parliament session of this five-year term and we want that opposition must be given an opportunity for debate on all issues," said Narayan.
The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31 and the interim Budget will be presented on February 1, officials said on Wednesday.
The session will commence with the customary address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The session, which will continue till February 13, will have 10 sittings, the officials said.
It will be the last session of the Lok Sabha before the general elections, which are due before May. (ANI)