Sonia to chair meeting to discuss Centre's handling of COVID-19 issues

An opposition party meeting, called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be held on Friday afternoon, in which the united opposition may take on the Narendra Modi government over its handling Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown. According to sources, however, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi party and Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party will not attend the meeting as these parties have political differences with the Congress. The meeting will be held via video conferencing and Ms Gandhi will chair the meeting.

Earlier, the Congress had invited 18 opposition parties including UPA allies, Left parties, and ‘new alley’ Shiv Sena along with UP parties and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress. Congress sources said that Ms Banerjee, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Tackeray, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, UPA alley and NCP boss Sharad Pawar will attend the meeting. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and his CPI counterpart D Raja also expected to attend. Most of the opposition parties criticised the Union government for its approach to tackle the deadly virus and migrant workers issue and this could be the main agenda for meeting.

Opposition parties, including Congress said that it had extended support to the government in its effort to tackle the COVID-19, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the special economic package, migrant workers issue and suspension of labour laws in BJP ruled states.