Congress claims special Parliament session being considered on Emergency anniversary
_vb_52.jpeg)
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday claimed that a special session of Parliament is being considered next month to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, and said this will be yet another classic exercise in "diversion and distraction" from real and more urgent issues by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that at a time when the BJP should be targeting Pakistan and terrorists, it is only interested in attacking the Congress.
Ramesh said that from the night of April 22nd itself, the Indian National Congress has been calling for an all-party meeting on the Pahalgam terror attack and its fallout to be chaired by the PM himself.
That has yet to take place, he said.
"On May 10th, both the LoP in the Lok Sabha and the LoP in the Rajya Sabha wrote to the PM requesting for a special session of Parliament to be convened and to demonstrate the nation's collective resolve through a resolution. The PM has NOT accepted that suggestion as well," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"Now it appears that a special session of Parliament is being considered for June 25-26 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency," Ramesh claimed.
There was no immediate response from the government or the BJP.
The Congress leader said, "This will be yet another classic exercise in diversion and distraction from real and more urgent issues by the PM - the man who has placed the nation under an undeclared Emergency for 11 years and the man who refuses to answer why the Pahalgam terrorists are still absconding, why he allowed President Trump to broker a ceasefire, and why he gave a clean chit to China publicly on June 19th, 2020?"
Later, speaking with PTI, Ramesh said instead of talking about the present issues and challenges, they want to discuss what happened 50 years ago.
He also reiterated the demand that a special session be called and the resolution of February 1994 on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir be reiterated and updated in view of India and Pakistan both becoming nuclear powers and new challenges having emerged, especially the "jugalbandi" that has been formed between Pakistan and China.
He also asked why the terrorists of the Pahalgam terror attack have not been caught.
"When they should be targeting Pakistan and terrorists, the BJP is only interested in targeting and attacking the Congress," Ramesh said.
The Congress has been asking Prime Minister Modi to break his "silence" on the Trump administration's repeated claims on how the India-Pakistan "ceasefire" was brought about.
The US President has been repeatedly claiming that he helped settle the tensions between India and Pakistan.
India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the military confrontation after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
On May 10, US President Donald Trump had claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks "mediated" by Washington.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rupee dips after India-US trade rally; falls 22 paise to 90.54/USD
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 22 paise to 90.54 against the US dollar in early trade on Wednesday, following a sharp rally after India and the US agreed to a trade deal on suspected dollar buying by corporates and importers.
Forex traders said despite the positive sentiment post the India-US trade deal, caution still remains as there is no signed or officially released trade agreement yet — no framework text or final documentation.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.35 against the US dollar, then lost ground and fell to 90.54, registering a loss of 22 paise over its previous close.
On Tuesday, the Indian rupee emerged as the best-performing Asian currency, registering a record gain of 117 paise or 1.28 per cent in a single trading session to settle at 90.32 against the US dollar, after India and the US agreed to a trade deal.
"After Tuesday's good news the rupee was back to its own self of weakening as RBI bought dollars towards the end to take the dollar up to 90.2650," said Anil Kumar Bhansali Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Forex traders said investors are trading with caution as the India-US trade deal still awaits formalisation.
"Any sustained turnaround in FII flows will depend on greater clarity around the final structure and commitments within the deal," CR Forex Advisors MD – Amit Pabari said.
President Trump stated that India will end purchases of Russian crude over an undefined timeline, while increasing imports of US energy, including oil and coal, and potentially Venezuelan crude with US approval.
"Moving away from discounted Russian oil could prove challenging for India, given its long-standing commercial and strategic ties with Moscow, and may have implications for India’s energy costs and external balance," Pabari added.
According to Pabari, the 89.80–90.00 zone should act as strong support. "Ultimately, the directional cue for the rupee will hinge on confirmation of the final trade agreement and its specifics. That clarity will determine whether this move extends — or pauses for consolidation," he said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.02 per cent lower at 97.41.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 67.77 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex advanced 68.49 points to 83,816.96 in early trade, while the Nifty was up 51.90 points to 25,779.45.
Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 5,236.28 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
