Former Prime Minister of the country HD Deve Gowda has written a letter to Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi on Monday (March 16, 2026), expressing concern over the behavior of the opposition in Parliament during the budget session. He said that he is deeply troubled by the way chaotic atmosphere is being created inside the Parliament and its premises, which is mainly being done by the opposition parties. He further said that if this is not stopped then it can damage the foundation of democracy of the country and create a situation of bitterness forever.

What did the former Prime Minister say to Sonia Gandhi?

The former PM wrote in the letter, ‘I don’t know to what extent you are able to see the consequences of such uncontrolled activities and the spread of negative environment, but I honestly feel that this can cause deep damage to the foundation of our democracy and it can create a situation of bitterness forever. He said that I did not write this letter to you earlier because I thought that with time the situation would improve on its own, but I am not seeing any signs of improvement.

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda writes to Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

“I have been greatly disturbed by a certain chaos that has been unthinkingly introduced inside Parliament, and in its larger premises, primarily by the Opposition parties. I am… pic.twitter.com/mgV7TKNXxK

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2026

Opposition’s attitude hurt my sentiments: Deve Gowda

HD Deve Gowda said, ‘I strongly feel that the Congress MPs, under the leadership of the leader of the opposition (Rahul Gandhi), have created more problems than necessary inside the Parliament and in its premises. Their protests and blockades outside Parliament are unprecedented. In recent times, Parliament has seen incidents like excessive sloganeering, showing placards and accusing each other by name. This shows a kind of non-serious attitude, which has hurt my basic concept about Parliament and parliamentary democracy.

He said that it goes without saying that my understanding of parliamentary democracy has been based on the learning and guidance received from our founding leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, BR Ambedkar and Abul Kalam Azad. In my long public life, I have never seen Parliament in such an atmosphere of chaos and uproar as has been seen in recent times.

What did HD Deve Gowda appeal to Sonia Gandhi?

HD Deve Gowda appealed to Sonia Gandhi and said, ‘I do not want to go further on this issue. I am sure you understand my concerns and even more so my intentions. My intention is not to degrade anyone or limit anyone’s role, but being the senior-most leader of the opposition, I urge you to talk to the leaders of your party and other opposition parties and convince them with your long political experience.

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Before the budget session, Congress has prepared a complete strategy to corner the government in Parliament. The Parliamentary Strategy Group of Congress has held an important meeting on Tuesday (January 27, 2026). This meeting was presided over by Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Discussion took place in the meeting regarding floor management and opposition coordination.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and National President of Congress Party Mallikarjun Kharge, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, Nasir Hussain, Manik Tagore, MP Manish Tiwari and many senior leaders were present in the meeting. In the meeting, there was a detailed discussion between the party leaders regarding floor management and opposition coordination in both the houses.

On which issues will Congress corner the government?

After the meeting, Congress National General Secretary and Rajya Sabha Whip Nasir Hussain said that during the budget session, the party will prominently raise important questions like MNREGA, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, environmental issues related to the Aravalli region, foreign policy, unemployment, clean drinking water, inflation and the country’s economy.

What issues did Rahul Gandhi emphasize on in the meeting?

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi clearly said in the meeting that issues like MNREGA, SIR, inflation, unemployment and pollution should be raised aggressively, so that the concerns of the general public can be brought to the center of Parliament.

A meeting of floor leaders of the opposition India Alliance has also been called on Wednesday (January 28, 2026) regarding the common strategy within the Parliament. This meeting will be held in the office of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament.

The first phase of the budget session will begin with the President’s address.

The first phase of the budget session will start from Wednesday (January 28, 2026). It will start with the address of President Draupadi Murmu. In which she will address the joint meeting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The Union Budget will be presented on Sunday (February 1, 2026). The first phase of the session will continue till February 13, in which the motion of thanks on the President’s speech and the budget will be discussed.

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