Amit Shah talks Parliament strategy with BJP ministers as Raj, MP CM come calling

Sunday, 19 July,New Delhi: Ahead of the Monsoon session, BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday discussed with senior Union ministers the strategy to counter the opposition in Parliament and is also meeting party chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, both of whom are facing controversy.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Raje, whose alleged involvement in the Lalit Modi row has seen her being targeted by Congress, and her Madhya Pradesh counterpart, who is under attack over the Vyapam scam, will be presenting their side of the story to the party so that the government can effectively deal with the opposition, sources said. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad were among those who met Shah.

Chouhan is also likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day. Congress has sought resignations of both Chouhan and Raje. It has also demanded that Swaraj quit for helping former IPL boss Lalit Modi.

The monsoon session of Parliament, which begins Tuesday, is set to be a stormy one as Congress and several other opposition parties appeared to be closing ranks to corner the government on a range of issues, including the Vyapam scam and Lalit Modi controversy.

Apart from pressing for the removal of Union ministers Swaraj and Smriti Irani, opposition parties have indicated that they would raise the issue of scams and controversies allegedly involving BJP chief ministers — Chouhan, Raje and Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh and demand their resignations.

PTI