Cong, SP, TMC skips Birla’s meet; DMK attends

Several key Indian opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC), boycotted a customary meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla following the contentious monsoon parliamentary session. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was the only major opposition party to attend.

A Congress leader explained the boycott, stating, "We have nothing against the Speaker. But we wanted to avoid joining the meeting as nothing substantial was discussed in the session. Bills were passed amid din. Our demand for debates on police excess against students and donation theft in Ayodhya remained unfulfilled."

The monsoon session was largely unproductive, with the opposition demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah regarding allegations of police brutality during a protest march and the use of pellet guns. They also called for the resignation of the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The TMC's boycott was specifically due to pending petitions submitted to Birla for the disqualification of 20 defectors. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, has consistently skipped these post-session meetings. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had attended a similar meeting in December.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior government leaders attended the meeting with the Speaker.

“

We have nothing against the Speaker. But we wanted to avoid joining the meeting as nothing substantial was discussed in the session. Bills were passed amid din. Our demand for debates on police excess against students and donation theft in Ayodhya remained unfulfilled.