With a focus on the COVID-19
As a vaccine distribution strategy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair an all-party meeting on Friday that will be attended by at least 30 floor leaders from about 19 parties that have representatives in Parliament.
Sources told CNN-News18 that about 12 leaders whose parties have more than five deputies in Parliament would be allowed to speak. The list of confirmed speakers includes Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Sharad Pawar, Nama Nageswara Rao, Vinayak Raut, Vijay Sai Reddy, Navaneethakrishnan, Chandrashekhar Sahu Ram Gopal Yadav, and TR Baalu.
As several countries around the world are about to start the vaccination campaign, the leaders who attended the meeting would like to know India’s plans for the same.
Congress is expected to ask Modi to draw up the priority list for the vaccine in regards to the vaccination campaign, the sources said.
TMC wants to know about the supply chain process and if it will be smooth. The party’s parliamentary leader, Sudip bandyopadhyay, told CNN-News 18: “Like everyone else, we are interested in knowing when the vaccine will arrive. I am going to raise the issue of lack of quorum at standing committee meetings and if we should reconsider the option of going virtual in parliament meetings. “
“The vaccination campaign against tuberculosis and polio was a long battle. We would like the government to tell us how it will guarantee the availability of the vaccine for the common man and if the vaccine that is being developed in such a short time in fact, it will be effective, “said Shiv Sena Loksabha’s floor leader Vinayak Raut.
TRS plans to raise the issue of lack of funding for state government and Center fees. Nama Nageswara Rao, who will speak on behalf of his party, said: “The Bharatiya Janata Party has made promises of free vaccines not only in Bihar but also during the municipal elections in Hyderabad. We would like to ask the Prime Minister if there will be something called ‘free vaccine’. “
Various opposition parties such as the Samajwadi Party, DMK, NCP and the Left want Modi to reflect on how the government will ensure a smooth and transparent vaccination campaign. Some of these parties fear that the ruling BJP-led NDA government may use the campaign as a political tool in the run-up to the crucial state elections in Assam, Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
A team of parliamentary affairs ministers Prahlad Joshi, Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan have coordinated with various floor leaders for Friday’s meeting.
In view of time constraints, not all parties would be allowed to speak and MPs from these parties would be encouraged to put their concerns and suggestions in writing.
The Congress will be represented by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Ghulam Nabi Azad. The Trinamool Congress will send Derek O’Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay as its representatives, and Vijay Sai Reddy and Midhun Reddy will be present from the YSR Congress Party. Senior politicians Sharad Pawar and HD Deve Gowda will represent the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Janata Dal (Secular), respectively. MPs TR Baalu and Trichy Siva from the DMK and Ramgopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party will also participate in the talks.
Chandrashekhar Sahu (Biju Janata Dal), Nama Nageswara Rao and K Keshava Rao (Telanagana Rashtra Samithi), Prem Chandra Gupta (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Jaidev Galla (Telugu Desam Party) Imtiaz Jaleel (AIMIM) and Sanjay Singhh Party (Sanjay Singhh Party) ) will also participate in the meeting.
The meeting comes a week after Modi visited the three vaccine development facilities in Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad, and held a meeting via video conference with three other developers.
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