INDIA bloc leaders write to Speaker to let LoPs speak at Constitution Day event

Leaders of various Opposition parties of the INDIA bloc have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to allow leaders of the Opposition in both Houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) to speak during the Constitution Day celebration function.

President Droupadi Murmu, vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the event on 26 November in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to mark the 75th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly's adoption of the Constitution.

"We are writing in the context of the function being held tomorrow (Tuesday) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India. We understand that the function will be addressed by the president, vice-president and the prime minister of India," the letter signed by leaders of various parties said.

"We believe that in the best traditions and interests of Parliamentary democracy, the Leaders of Opposition (LoPs) in both Houses should also be given an opportunity to speak on this historic occasion," it added.

The signatories to the letter include T.R. Baalu, Tiruchi Siva, Kanimozhi, Supriya Sule, Raghav Chadha, P. Sandosh Kumar, E.T. Mohammed Bashir, K. Radhakrishnan, Ramji Lal Suman, and N.K. Premachandran.

Floor leaders of the opposition INDIA bloc met on Monday ahead of the start of Parliament's winter session and decided to raise the issue of alleged corruption in the Adani Group and demand a JPC (joint Parliamentary committee) probe on the matter.

The floor leaders met at the Parliament House office of Congress president and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge. Several Opposition members, including Kharge, have submitted adjournment notices in both Houses on the issue.