The Hindu : National : Congress promises Speaker of complete cooperation in House

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Monday, Nov 21, 2005

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National

Congress promises Speaker of complete cooperation in House

Special Correspondent

Unwilling to accommodate Opposition plan to discuss Mitrokhin archives

CUSTOMARY MEET: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee at a dinner hosted by the latter for the Congress party in New Delhi on Sunday. The winter session of Parliament begins on November 23. — Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI: Congress party leaders met Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Sunday and promised him of complete cooperation in running the House in the winter session of Parliament beginning on November 23.

At a dinner meeting hosted by Mr. Chatterjee, which was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the party insisted it was unwilling to accommodate the Opposition plan to raise a discussion on the Mitrokhin archives issue since it was based on a book.The meeting was a follow-up of a dinner hosted by Mr. Chatterjee for the BJP on Saturday night. The Congress is also confident that Home Minister Shivraj Patil, in his statement in Parliament, would address concerns on the law and order situation in the country, including in Jehanabad.

The dinner meeting was also attended by Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee and his Deputy G. Venkataswamy, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri and Congress whip Kirip Chalia.

Party strategy

PTI reports:

Senior Congress leaders, including party chief Sonia Gandhi, on Sunday discussed the strategy to be adopted for the winter session of parliament which is likely to be stormy in view of the Volcker report and other issues.

Ms. Gandhi and other senior leaders deliberated on the party's strategy for the session beginning next week with the BJP-led Opposition all set to attack the Manmohan Singh Government on several issues, including the Volcker report on the Iraqi oil-for-food scam, Congress sources said.

Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, who recently took over as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, has said the Government is open to discussion on all issues in Parliament. A meeting of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee is also scheduled for November 21, two days before the session begins.

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