New Delhi Apr 20 PTI A special committee of Congress leaders constituted by party president Sonia Gandhi to suggest measures for strengthening the organisation and to make it ready for the next round of elections will submit its report in the next two-three daysThe committee on Wednesday met chief ministers of Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and held deliberations with them on the way forward and for evolving the partys poll strategyRajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also met Gandhi here and discussed the organisations strategy for the upcoming assembly and general electionsThe meeting was part of the deliberations being held to evolve a long-term strategy for the Congress and discuss the plan presented by poll strategist Prashant KishorGehlot and Baghel landed in the national capital on Wednesday morning and met the Congress chief at her residence where Kishor was also presentDuring the meeting that lasted several hours the two chief ministers discussed their poll plans for the respective states and asked Kishor to give his additional suggestions to be implemented there sources saidThey are learnt to have discussed Kishors strategy and deliberated on it with other party leaders who are part of the committeeCongress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters that the committee has been holding deliberations for the last two-three days and would submit its report in the next three days after completing deliberationsFor the last three days these deliberations have been held We propose to conclude these deliberations over next 48 to 72 hours he told reporters after the five-hour meetingAsked on whether the committee will give its decision on the entry of Kishor in the Congress fold Surjewala said The role of the committee is not to suggest whether a particular persons should be included in the Congress party or not and is to suggest measures to strengthen the organisation for contesting elections and prepare it for 2024 general elections and other state assembly elections The committee has taken note of the suggestions given by Kishor and has been deliberating on them he saidSurjewala said the committee was set up by Gandhi to help strengthen the organisation and dwell on its future poll strategy and bring about organisational changes and help make the Congress policies to highlight the pain of people of the countryThose suggestions include the ways and means to strengthen the Congress organisation and connect it to the large amount of masses Those suggestions also include gearing up of the Congress for upcoming elections leading up to 2024both the state assembly and central elections he saidThe Congress organisation must adapt to all these changes and that is why this committee has been holding deliberations for the last three days on the various suggestions given by Prashant Kishor as also by various seasoned leaders from time to time to Congress president he saidSurjewala said since the two chief ministers have vast organisational and administrative experience the committee thought it fit to request them to join the deliberations We have had a fruitful round of discussions with both Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel he saidGehlot also told reporters that Kishor has become a brand in the country who was with Narendra Modi in 2014 Parliament elections and later with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and then with the Congress in Punjab and with many other leadersIt will be good if his experience is used in uniting the opposition and in fighting the NDA government of PM Modi and there is need to do so as the manner in which there is violence during festivals and which way it will take the country towards Gehlot said noting that this is not the first time the advice of experts like him is being takenA group of senior party leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra K C Venugopal P Chidambaram Jairam Ramesh Digvijaya Singh and Randeep Surjewala are looking into Kishors plan and will present a report to the Congress president on it within the next two-three daysThe poll strategist had presented his plan before the top Congress leadership on Saturday and the party president had formed a panel to look into it and give its reportThe Congress is striving to strengthen the organisation and fight the BJP at the hustings after suffering a series of electoral losses in recent assembly polls The party has admitted that it failed to impress upon the people about the failures of the BJP government PTI SKC ZMN

New Delhi Nov 30 PTI The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the government was not allowing the Parliament to function to avoid getting exposed on peoples issues like price rise and demanded that it apologises to them for wrongly suspending its membersCongress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said there was no question of them apologising to the government as they had only raised issues concerning the people in a democratic manner in Parliament but the government suspended them in violation of the rules and parliamentary practicesHe accused the government of throttling democracy and the voice of the opposition by suspending 12 opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha so that they do not raise issues concerning the common peopleHe also termed the suspension as a one sided tailor-made decision to ensure that the voice of the opposition is suppressed and the house does not function in orderThe government does not want the house to function properly and it is the government which is responsible for creating a situation to not allow the house to function Gohil allegedThe Congress leader also alleged that the suspension of MPs has been done for political motives and calculations in mind as some of the MPs who were named by the chair during the previous session were not suspended keeping upcoming assembly elections in mindHe said these MPs wanted to raise issues of price rise unemployment compensation to the victims of coronavirus and farmers issues including grant of legal status to Minimum support priceAsked if the suspended MPs would apologise after the government made this demand before revoking the suspensions Gohil said They say apologise but for what We believe in Gandhis ideology and we will not apologise Our MPs have been suspended illegally and in violation of the rules and precedents and their suspension should be revoked immediately The government should apologise instead for wrongly suspending opposition members he saidThe Congress leader said it is the governments responsibility to run the house properly and they as a responsible opposition are seeking to raise the voice of the people and issuesMr Modi does not believe in democracy and believes in dictatorship instead but opposition parties will not tolerate this and will not fear such tactics Gohil also said claiming that the prime minister wants to implement the Modi model in Parliament as he did in Gujarat assembly as the chief minister of the stateOn whether the opposition will boycott the house further Gohil said leaders of all opposition parties will meet everyday and decide on future course of actionGohil also hoped the Government will approach the opposition and make an atmosphere for the smooth functioning of the house as it is the the duty of the party in power to reach out to the opposition in a democracy PTI SKC ZMN

New Delhi Nov 25 PTI Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will not have any visitors during the winter session of Parliament beginning November 29 sources said ThursdayThe visitors galleries in both the houses will be closed during the upcoming session due to the prevailing Covid situation and restrictions imposedOfficials of both the secretariats have written about the non-availability of galleries for visitors during the upcoming sessionThe sources said due to Covid protocol in force during the session MPs will be made to sit in the galleries meant for visitors in both the housesThe seating arrangement of members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has been made in a staggered manner in the Chamber and the galleries according to an official circularNo visitor will be allowed to witness the proceedings of the House during the session and no public gallery pass will be issued during the Session the circular saidThe winter session of Parliament will continue till December 23 PTI SKC ZMN