New Delhi | The Congress on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself should respond to debates in Parliament's Monsoon session on various issues including Pahalgam attack, US President Donald Trump's ceasefire claims and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said the opposition parties will get an opportunity to seek answers from the government on key issues in this session starting Monday.
"We have more expectations than before that PM Modi will address the nation in Parliament on key issues - Pahalgam attack and the intelligence failure there. It is also important that we support and thank our armed forces in Parliament," he told reporters after attending an all-party meeting on the eve of the session.
Gogoi said the prime minister should also put light on the statements from US President Trump, who by his claims, has raised fingers at India's pride and its armed forces, and it is only the prime minister of India who can respond to it.
"It is the moral responsibility of the PM to answer on these issues. We hope that PM will fulfil his moral duty," he said.
Gogoi said the questions raised on Bihar's SIR and the Election Commission not giving answers points fingers at the future elections. "It is PM's duty to clarify government's stand in Parliament."
The Congress leader said several senior army officers have raised the two-pronged threat from China and Pakistan and there should be a discussion on this in Parliament. It is also important to discuss the country's defence and foreign policies and the defence budgetary allocation, he added.
He said Manipur has been facing violence for the last 2.5 years and there is no peace there. The prime minister has visited several small countries but is avoiding going to Manipur, he alleged, demanding answers from him.
Later, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a post on X listed out several issues raised by Gogoi during the all-party meeting.
"In the all-party meeting convened by the Modi Government today, my colleague
Gaurav Gogoi, the Deputy Leader of the INC in the Lok Sabha, made the following demands for discussion in Parliament on behalf of the INC - Pahalgam, Sindoor, statements of LG J&K, CDS, Deputy COAS, and President Trump.
"The SIR votebandi exercise that will lead to mass disenfranchisement in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and other states, alongside other actions of ECI that threaten electoral democracy," he said.
Ramesh also said foreign policy challenges with respect to China especially, the failure of neighbourhood diplomacy, the moral cowardice on Palestine, were also raised during the meeting with the government.
He also said that the restoration of full statehood to J&K, Schedule VI status for Ladakh, and the situation in Manipur (a state that is still awaiting the PM's visit) was also raised during the meeting.
"He further insisted on a reply by the Prime Minister himself on these debates which must last a minimum of two days each," Ramesh said in his post on X.
During the Monsoon session of Parliament, the Opposition is set to corner the government on several issues.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc also held a meeting to chalk out their joint strategy and present a united face in attacking the government on intelligence failures that resulted in the Pahalgam attack, Trump's ceasefire claims, besides on SIR in Bihar.