Parliament diary: No clarity on new Congress president as Rahul extends foreign tour

Outgoing Congress president Rahul Gandhi was supposed to reach the capital on July 22-23. Senior leaders of the party were planning to convene a Congress Working Committee meeting after Mr Gandhi’s arrival. An informed source said that Rahul has extended his foreign visit by at least a week. However, another leader, considered a close confidante of the Gandhi family, claimed that he would reach the capital any time soon. By now, it is clear that there is no consensus on the name of future Congress president. Moreover, those engaged in informal consultations have abandoned the selection process. It is believed that veteran leader A.K. Anthony has refused to get involved in any type of consultation. Mr Gandhi officially resigned as Congress president on July 3 because of the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.

Senior Cabinet minister assures Azad on formation of standing committees

Opposition parties threatened to stay away from the Parliament if some of the bills won’t be scrutinised by the standing committee or select committee. It is to be noted that no standing committees have been formed so far. Initially, the government argued that many political parties had not nominated their members for the committee. However, a senior Cabinet minister is believed to have given an assurance to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad that the standing committees — like external affairs, defence — would be formed in the coming days.

Sonia Gandhi wants to watch match between mohun Bagan and East Bengal

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi is believed to have informed former Indian football captain and Trinamul MP, Prasun Banerjee, of her liking for football. Ms Gandhi reportedly told the MP in the Parliament that she wants to watch a match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal — two archrivals from Bengal. Mr Banerjee is believed to have told her about the upcoming Durand Cup match between the archrivals. If the match is in Delhi, Ms Gandhi may watch the match at the stadium. Otherwise, she could watch the match at home. Ms Gandhi reportedly likes Juventus, the popular football team from Italy.