In a smart one-upmanship move, Modi Govt leaves Congress 'isolated and in lurch' ::: BJP floor managers bypass Congress, hold talks with Samajwadi Party, BJD and others

DMK, YSRCP, NCP (SP), Samajwadi Party and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) hold tatlks with Govt on Delimitation   

The BJP defended the government's handling of parliamentary proceedings and urged the party to extend its support to the proposed legislation ahead of a likely special session of Parliament.

The Union government bypassed the Congress party during recent consultations on a proposed delimitation bill, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stating that the Congress failed to provide dates for a discussion despite 'repeated requests'.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju noted that because Congress leadership (including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi) did not offer a meeting time, the government extended its outreach to other opposition parties instead.

Parties Consulted: Consultations were held with representatives from the Samajwadi Party (SP), DMK, YSRCP, NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM, and BJD.

Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president, had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to question the push for a new delimitation proposal and criticized the delayed prorogation of the monsoon session (which adjourned sine die on August 13). 

The government dismissed these objections, citing parliamentary precedents.