Bhubaneswar, January 28: Even as the 16 Opposition parties decided to boycott President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament on Friday over the Union Government’s “undemocratic” attitude towards the farmers, Naveen Patnaik-led BJD will attend the the ceremony.
“The Biju Janta Dal will attend the President’s address tomorrow and raise all issues on the floor of both Houses of Parliament,” said party’s Rajya Sabha MP & Chief Whip Dr. Sasmit Patra to news agency ANI.
Leaders of 16 Opposition parties, in a joint statement on Thursday, announced their decision to boycott President Ram Nath Kovind’s address.
The Budget Session will start on Friday and the President will address the first sitting of both the Houses in the new year.
“The Prime Minister and the BJP Government remain arrogant, adamant and undemocratic in their response. Shocked by this insensitivity of the Government, we, the following opposition political parties, reaffirming the collective demand for the repeal of the Anti Farmer Laws and in solidarity with the Indian Farmers, have decided to boycott the President’s address to both the Houses of Parliament on Friday, January 29, 2021,” read the joint statement, signed by senior Opposition leaders.
The signatories include Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sharad Pawar (NCP), Derek O’Brien (Trinamool Congress), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena), Farooq Abdullah (National Conference), T.R. Baalu (DMK), Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Manoj Jha (RJD), Binoy Viswam (CPI), and E. Kareem (CPI-M).
Other signatories included Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and K. Suresh from the Congress, Supriya Sule (NCP), Vaiko (MDMK), T. Siva (DMK), N.K. Premachandran (RSP), Nazir Ahmed Laway (PDP) and Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF).
