Various parties, including Cong, TMC, demand restoration of MPLAD funds

NEW DELHI, Jul 18: Various parties, including the Congress and the TMC, on Sunday demanded restoration of MPLAD funds, in an all-party meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, sources said.

Speaker Birla assured them that he will raise the issue with the government and its top functionaries, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and floor leaders of various parties were present in the customary all-party meeting on the eve of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

The session will begin on Monday and conclude on August 13.

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, TMC leader Sudeep Bandopadhyay, YSR Congress leader Midhun Reddy were among those who raised the issue of MPLAD funds during the meeting in the presence of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, the sources said.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Birla said he has appealed to parties to ensure the session is productive and meaningful.

He also said that discussions should be held in a cordial atmosphere and the decorum of the House must be upheld.

Birla said he has also assured all parties that they will be given enough time to raise their issues during the session. (PTI)