United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday led protest ‘Save Democracy’ outside the Parliament against the crisis in Karnataka and Goa. Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were seen along with other lawmakers who were holding Save Democracy Banners.
Speaking to ANI, Rahul Gandhi said, ‘We are protesting over Karnataka and Goa Issue’. Congress Parliamentarians Shashi Tharoor, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi were seen in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Parliament complex raising slogans.
Slamming the BJP, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor referring to Goa and Karnataka said, ‘This is an assault on Constitution and murder of Democracy’. Raising questions on BJP’s intensions, Tharoor said, ‘Is BJP looking to make India a one-party state’.
Sources familiar with the development claimed that Congress early in the day called its parliamentary party meeting which was attended by MPs of the party from both the House.
Sources further added that Congress is seeking support from other opposition parties to join them against over Karnataka and Goa Crisis.
Amid the ongoing Karnataka Crisis, the party on Wednesday suffered another setback in Goa after 10 out of its 15 MLAs quit to merge with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. With the quick turn of events, Congress is now left with just 5 MLAs in the state where it was the single largest party after 2017 Assembly polls.
Goa becomes the third state after Telangana and Karnataka where Congress has faced embarrassment. Last month, a group of 12 Congress MLAs quit the party in Telangana and merged it with the ruling TRS in the Telangana Assembly.
The Indian National Congress on Wednesday issued a whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs directing them to meet every Tuesday at 10:15 at Room Number 25 at the Parliament during the ongoing session. While in another whip issued by the party, it has directed all its MPs to meet every working day on the same place.
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