Parliament monsoon session: Congress aims to corner Narendra Modi govt over Pahalgam attack, SIR in Bihar

With the monsoon session of Parliament set to begin on July 21, the Congress party has decided to take on the Narendra Modi-led government by demanding answers on the Pahalgam terror attack and the ceasefire announced under ‘US pressure’ in Operation Sindoor. The Opposition also plans to raise concerns about alleged voter list manipulation and issues of national security and governance.

 

After a strategy meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi, senior Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said the party’s first priority would be to demand answers over the recent Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed. “We want to know who killed them and why no action has been taken. There is complete silence on the issue. The prime minister has not spoken, even when Donald Trump mentioned for the 22nd time that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire because of trade,” Tiwari said.

 

The Congress also intends to question the Modi government over Operation Sindoor, claiming that Indian troops were stopped due to pressure from the US president. “Our valiant soldiers were stopped on the insistence of the US. This raises questions on our sovereignty,” Tiwari alleged.

 

Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc are also expected to call a coordination meeting before the session, to fine-tune their joint strategy.

 

In addition, the Congress plans to bring up the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in Bihar. “It started in Haryana, then Maharashtra where democracy was murdered. Now the same is happening in Bihar,” Tiwari said, warning that the BJP was attempting to rig the electoral rolls in its favour. The Congress has been alleging the voters lists were manipulated to help the BJP. He added that while the opposition wants clean and transparent elections, “it is not happening under the current regime”.

 

The Congress will also press for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. “The mandate was against the BJP in Kashmir. They should respect the people’s will and restore full statehood,” Tiwari said.

 

Issues related to women’s safety, the Air India crash, and governance lapses will also be taken up during the session.

 

Meanwhile, Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, met Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday. After the meeting, Kharge said the opposition was keen on ensuring a “productive” session.

India