PM Modi dials former presidents, Opposition leaders to discuss Covid-19 situation
Amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached out and held a discussion with former presidents, former prime ministers as well as opposition leaders on the coronavirus pandemic which has infected 3,374 people and claimed at least 77 lives so far.
According to sources, Modi spoke to former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil and former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Deve Gowda.
The Prime Minister also spoke to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Odisha’s Naveen Patnaik, Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao, DMK chief M K Stalin, Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal.
On April 8, according to PTI, PM Modi is also scheduled to hold an interaction with floor leaders of various parties via video conference.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Saturday that floor leaders of all those parties which have a combined strength of more than five MPs in both houses of parliament will be part of the discussion on Wednesday at 11 am.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Ghulam Nabi Azad from the Congress and floor leaders of TMC, BSP, DMK, BJD, TRS as well as various other parties have been invited for the meeting.
However, Trinamool Congress sources said their leaders Derek O’Brien and Sudip Bandyopadhyay are unlikely to attend the interaction.
“TMC will not attend the meeting. We have been seeking a discussion in Parliament and an all-party meeting over COVID-19 since early March but it was never called. Now why (call a meeting)? (For) Photo op?” a senior party leader said.
Interacting with Chief Ministers of all states via video-conference from New Delhi Thursday, Modi had told the Chief Ministers to “formulate a common exit strategy to ensure staggered re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ends” on April 14.
INDIAN EXPRESS
