Many parliamentarians, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi are expected to skip the upcoming monsoon session , which is the first meeting of the Parliament during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Ms. Gandhi is travelling abroad for her annual check-up and will be out of the country for at least two weeks. Mr. Gandhi is accompanying her.
“Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi is travelling today onwards for a routine follow up & medical check up, which was deferred due to the pandemic. She is accompanied by Sh. Rahul Gandhi. We take this opportunity to thank everyone for their concern & good wishes,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.
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The absence of both the senior leaders is significant since it comes just days after the
Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh is also not expected to be present on all days.
The Trinamool Congress earlier had issued directions to its MPs who are above 65 to skip the session for health reasons. Three Trinamool MPs in Lok Sabha and four in Rajya Sabha will skip.
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Sources said both Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu have got many leave applications. The Opposition benches are expected to have far thinner attendance, since many MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu have expressed their inability to attend the session.
No one person will be allowed to enter the Parliament without a RT PCR negative report including the MPs. Kanniyakumari MP H. Vasanthakumar died of COVID-19 . Till September 11, as many as 20 Lok Sabha MPs have tested positive, out of which 14 have recovered.
A whole new set of rules and regulations are in place in Parliament to contain the spread of the disease. No visitors or even staff members of the legislators are allowed inside.