'United' Opposition to continue protests on Pegasus, may hold 'Mock Parliament'

On a day when the Opposition MPs of both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha held a meeting to chalk out a strategy to corner the Government on various issues, the Congress party made it clear that this unity will continue in the forthcoming days on matters related to Pegasus, inflation and the three farm laws. This comes amid speculation of a parallel Parliament to be conducted by the Opposition in upcoming days.

New Delhi: On Tuesday, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi hosted a breakfast for Opposition MPs where 15 parties took part and more than 100 MPs had attended the meeting. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had opted out to be a part of this meeting in view of the upcoming Assembly Polls. While speaking to ETV Bharat, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain said, "All the Opposition Parties have been unitedly protesting on these issues from past two weeks. Three farm laws, inflation and Pegasus are being on our agenda and we are asking the Government to have a proper discussion on these issues. But the Government is not forthcoming to discuss these issues. So I think this unity will be continue in the days to come."

After this meeting, Opposition MPs took out a Cycle March as a mark of protest against the Central Government over the rising fuel prices. These leaders rode bicycle from Constitution Club to Parliament raising slogans against the Government and demanding a roll back of increased prices. "The common man is suffering from the petrol and diesel price hike and through this protest we wanted to show that how difficult it has become for the common man to afford fuel for the daily life activities," Naseer Hussain asserted.

When asked about the Opposition's strategy over the Pegasus snoopgate row, he replied, "Till now, we have been opposing, protesting and wanting a discussion on the Pegasus issue. Regarding the strategy, as and when it is formulated we will let you know. But the fact remains that the government doesn't want to discuss this issue. They know that they have got caught red-handed doing surveillance not only regarding opposition leaders, but also on judges, journalists, CEC and Army officer. They know they don't have anything to say on this issue and that is why they are not ready to discuss it."

The Congress MP made it clear that Opposition will continue their protests in the upcoming days as well. It has also been reported that the Opposition may consider holding a "Mock Parliament" as the Centre has not yet accepted their demands to have a discussion over Pegasus in Parliament.

On the other side, Prime Minister Narendra Modi renewed his attack on the Opposition, accusing it of not allowing Parliament to function, saying that the repeated adjournments forced by a vociferous opposition were "an insult to the constitution, to democracy and to the public".