Congress says it will raise the issue of Maha Kumbh stampede in Parliament before Budget speech

Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The parliamentary strategy group of the Congress on Friday (January 31, 2025) decided that it would raise the issue of the Maha Kumbh stampede before Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivers her Budget speech.

“We will raise the issue of deaths at Maha Kumbh and the need to fix responsibility as soon as the House proceedings start. If it is not allowed, we will walk out for a few minutes in protest,” said a leader who attended the meeting of the group.

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The meeting, held at Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s official residence, also discussed other issues that the party MPs would raise during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address and the discussion on the Budget.

The key issues likely to be raised include Home Minister Amit Shah’s reference to B.R. Ambedkar in the previous session, draft guidelines formulated by the University Grants Commission on the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, the Manipur situation and the functioning of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

The first part of the Budget session, that got underway on Friday (February 1), will go into a break on February 13.