On the eve of the Monsoon session, Government today convened an all-party meeting at Parliament House Annexe. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Jagat Prakash Nadda, Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and Dr L Murugan were  present in the meeting. Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel, JDU leader Sanjay Jha, TDP leader Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Samajwadi Party leader Dharmedra Yadav, Jharkhand Mukti Morch Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji along with over 50 Leaders from 40 political parties attended the meeting.

 

Just after the meeting began, opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the meeting over the participation of Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The NCPI is a registered party that has participated in the West Bengal Assembly elections, and recently, several rebel Trinamool Congress MPs have joined it. However, after registering their protest, the opposition members attended the meeting. 

 

Speaking to media after the meeting, Mr Kiren Rijiju urged all political parties to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament and engage in constructive discussions on key issues. He stressed that meaningful debate, rather than disruptions, is essential for strengthening democracy.

 

Talking to media, TMC MP Mahua Moitra said that the entire opposition parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, JMM, Trinamool Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party have walked out from the meeting. She also alleged that NCPI is not a recognized parliamentary party. 

 

Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari described the walkout as a symbolic boycott against the NCPI being invited to the meeting.

 

NCPI leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay slammed opposition parties for their protest during all party meeting. He said, in NDA, NCPI is  now the second largest party.