india

Updated: Oct 30, 2019 09:20 IST

The Maharashtra and Haryana assembly poll results have provided the Congress-led Opposition much-needed ammunition to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.

A senior Congress strategist said that the party is set to counter the government on the economic slowdown, particularly in the rural areas. The issue is believed to have made an impact in some constituencies in the two state elections.

The Congress failed to stop the BJP from forming the government in Haryana and the roads are clear for another BJP-Sena government in Maharashtra. The Congress and its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) though improved their performance and it is seen as a turnaround for many party leaders after the dismal show in this year’s national election.

The Congress is also determined to strongly oppose the government’s attempt to clear the contentious bill to amend the citizenship law.

“If we are sure about anything, it is about our opposition to the citizenship act. We are cautious that the BJP may try to take communal advantage from our opposition, but we can’t let changes in the basic structure of the Indian Constitution,” said a senior Congress leader.

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Another Congress leader, a senior member of the Rajya Sabha, added that it would have been “difficult” for them to raise different issues if the election results had seen a BJP sweep.

“In the national election, the BJP routed us. But the assembly elections indicated the anger and frustration among the people, especially on economic issues. These results are important for us to make the strategy for the winter session of Parliament,” said the Rajya Sabha leader.

The Opposition parties are likely to demand a long debate on the economic situation, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the situation in Kashmir among other issues to counter the BJP.

The winter session is slated from November 23 to December 13.