Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi held a strategy meeting at her residence in Delhi on Tuesday evening to devise a way forward on scrapping the suspension of 12 MPs of Rajya Sabha, which has led to an impasse in the Parliament.
Besides the Congress, leaders of five opposition parties were present at the meeting which included Congress allies Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), DMK and the Shiv Sena, NDTV reported quoting sources.
The leaders have asked Sharad Pawar to speak with Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu to find a way forward on the issue, sources said.
The suspension of the MPs over “unruly behaviour” has been a big bone of contention between the government and the opposition in the Winter Session of Parliament.
However, Trinamool Congress (TMC) party or its supreme Mamata Banerjee was not invited for the meeting.
Demanding revocation of the suspension, the opposition has been holding regular protest meets, leading to repeated adjournments and interruption of work in both houses.
The Centre has refused to relent, contending that the MPs have not apologized for their conduct.
Earlier this month, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal told the House, “A courtesy towards the Chair and nation is an apology. They said we cannot apologise”.