LoP Kharge convenes meeting of floor leaders of 'like-minded' parties in Parliament tomorrow

New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday called a meeting of the floor leaders of "like-minded" parties in Parliament on Monday.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at 9.45 am tomorrow.
Kharge also today convened a joint meeting of Congress Coordination Group of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the strategy of the party for the next week of Parliament. The meeting was convened via video conferencing.
Earlier today, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut told ANI that the Central government has invited five Opposition parties, whose MPs are among the 12 suspended legislators, for talks on Monday. With just four days to go for the culmination of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, the move is seen as an attempt to break the deadlock between the government and the Opposition in the House.
Raut said that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has called a meeting of leaders of Congress, TMC, Shiv Sena, CPI(M) and CPI -all parties whose Rajya Sabha MPs have been suspended
"The Opposition leaders will meet tomorrow at 10 am at the Parliament Library Building to take a decision on participating in the meeting called by the Government", Raut further told ANI.
Taking to Twitter, CPl MP Binoy Viswam also confirmed the invite by the government and said that the CPI will take a decision tomorrow about participating in the meeting.
Meanwhile, Kharge also this evening wrote to parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and termed the Centre's decision to invite just four parties as "unfair and unfortunate".
"All Opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs. We have been requesting from the evening of November 29 itself that either the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Leader of the House Shri Piyush Goyal should call leaders of all Opposition parties for a discussion to break the stalemate."
"This reasonable request of ours has not been agreed to, further inviting only leaders of four Opposition parties instead of inviting leaders of all Opposition parties is unfair and unfortunate."
Twelve Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended from the House on the first day of the Winter session of Parliament from five Political Parties including Congress, TMC, Shivsena, CPI, CPI(M). After their suspension, all 12 MPs have been sitting in dharna on a daily basis in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister earlier said that the government was ready to consider revoking the suspension of the MPs if they apologise for their conduct in the House. The Opposition leaders have however said that they would not apologise.
Rajya Sabha was adjourned several times in the ongoing Parliament Session due to the ruckus in the Upper House by the Opposition parties demanding revocation of the suspension of MPs.
The Parliament is scheduled to culminate on 23 December. (ANI)