Ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament, the Union government on Sunday, July 20, said it was open to discussing all “important issues” raised by the Opposition, including Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, speaking at an all-party meeting convened before the session, emphasised the need for better coordination between the government and the Opposition to ensure smooth proceedings in Parliament.
“We are very much open to discussing important issues like Operation Sindoor in Parliament. There should be government-opposition coordination in running Parliament smoothly,” Rijiju said.
His comments come at a time when the Opposition is preparing to corner the government over Trump’s recent assertions that he had played a role in facilitating a cessation of hostilities between the two south Asian neighbours.
Responding to a question about the Opposition’s plans to raise the issue, Rijiju stated, “The government will respond appropriately in Parliament.”
On Saturday, the Opposition INDIA bloc held a virtual meeting with participation from 24 constituent parties. The alliance finalised a list of eight major issues it plans to raise during the Monsoon session. These include the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, the subsequent Operation Sindoor carried out by Indian armed forces in Pakistan, President Trump’s ceasefire announcement, India’s foreign policy, and concerns over the Election Commission’s ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Leaders present at the meeting included Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Abhishek Banerjee from the TMC, Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP(SP)’s Sharad Pawar and Jayant Patil, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, JMM’s Hemant Soren; RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and DMK’s Tiruchi N Siva.
Other attendees were D Raja (CPI), MA Baby (CPI(M)), Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPI(ML) Liberation), Jose K Mani (Kerala Congress M), NK Premachandran (RSP), Thol Thirumavalavan (VCK), and KM Kader Mohideen (IUML).
The upcoming session will be the first since the April Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed. Following the incident, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor in Pakistani territory targeting terror infrastructure.