New Delhi, 04 July (H.S.): Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the party will raise several key issues during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, including foreign policy, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the functioning of the Election Commission, delimitation, the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, and the alleged donation irregularities related to the Ayodhya Ram Temple.

Addressing a press conference here, Ramesh alleged that serious questions are being raised over the country's democratic institutions and electoral process, while accusing the government of avoiding discussions on important national issues.

He said the Congress is actively preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections and organisational meetings are being held across various states. Referring to the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar, Ramesh said that 24 political parties, along with Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, have written to the Chief Justice of India expressing concern over the voter roll revision process and the functioning of the Election Commission.

He alleged that the names of lakhs of voters were being removed from the electoral rolls, weakening public confidence in the electoral process. He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would intervene appropriately in the matter.

On the issue of the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, Ramesh alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party's real objective was to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament to amend the Constitution. He claimed that after failing to achieve the expected mandate in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had resorted to politics of political vendetta and was attempting to avoid discussions on issues such as social justice and reservation.

Criticising the Election Commission, Ramesh alleged that its functioning in West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Haryana had raised questions about its impartiality. He described the customary all-party meeting held before the Monsoon Session as a mere formality, claiming that although the government hears the Opposition, the parliamentary agenda is ultimately decided by the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs. He also alleged that the government could once again introduce proposals related to delimitation and 'One Nation, One Election' during the upcoming session.

Referring to the alleged donation irregularities concerning the Ayodhya Ram Temple, Ramesh claimed that people had contributed funds in the name of Lord Ram but allegations of misuse of donations had now surfaced. He further alleged that similar issues had emerged in Kedarnath and Badrinath and called for an impartial investigation into the matter.

Targeting the Central Government on foreign policy, Ramesh said that while Indian security forces had achieved success during Operation Sindoor, India had suffered setbacks on the diplomatic front. Referring to what he described as growing proximity between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan's military leadership, he claimed that Pakistan was regaining international prominence.

He also raised concerns over the widening trade deficit with China and the proposed trade agreement with the United States, alleging that the government had consistently avoided parliamentary discussions on China and other important foreign policy issues over the past several years.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar