Congress calls 18-party Opposition meet; Shiv Sena, NCP to attend & AAP, SP, BSP skip

As India gradually opens up amid nationwide Coronavirus lockdown, Congress anunced on Thursday, that party interim-chief Sonia Gandhi has called an Opposition party meeting of all 18 parties. Reports state that video-conference meeting which will be chaired by UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi will discuss matters like government’s handling of coronavirus pandemic, migrant issue, states’ suspension of labour laws, and freeze on various parliamentary committees. 18 parties like Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena, Left-wing parties, NCP, DMK, Trinamool are invited.

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Sena to attend, many skip

Shiv Sena supremo and Congress' Maharashtra-ally Uddhav Thackeray has accepted Congress' invite - making this Thackeray's first meet with Opposition. Apart from Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, JMM chief Hemant Soren, DMK chief M K Stalin and Left parties are set to attend meeting, as per reports. Some party leaders like AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP Supremo Mayawati have declined invite. While Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee had accepted invite, she is scheduled to survey cyclone-hit areas in West Bengal with PM Modi.

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Congress attacks Centre on migrants, ecomic pack, lockdown

Recently, amid operation of Shramik trains and buses to travel migrants, Congress has locked horns with Centre with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claiming Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has blocked 1000 buses from Rajasthan to UP, while UP has hit back claiming most of buses did t have relevant papers. Moreover, Congress has lashed out at Centre's 5-day 'Atmanirbhar ecomic pack' anuncements, stating that most of Centre's Rs 20 lakh roll out was part of annual pack and had thing for migrants. party has also demanded PM Modi stop BJP-ruled states from amending labour se laws as y 'stripped workers of ir basic rights'.

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PM Modi reaches out to Opposition

Incidentally, on April 5, PM Modi called various party chiefs like Sonia Gandhi (Congress), Mulayam & Akhilesh Singh Yadav (SP), Naveen Patnaik (BJD), KCR (TRS), M K Stalin (DMK) and Parkash Singh Badal (Akali Dal). Later, on April 8, he also held an all-party meeting over vel Coronavirus outbreak via video conferencing, after Opposition accused Modi government of t engaging political parties. India is currently in its fourth phase of lockdown with 112359 cases, with 45300 recoveries and 3435 fatalities.

Congress demands PM Modi to stop BJP-ruled states from amending state labour laws