Divided opposition comes together
Congress president Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi: The government’s move to isolate the Congress seems to have boomeranged after the suspension of 25 Congress MPs by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. While the Congress was backed by only the Left, JD(U), AAP and BSP at the all-party meeting called by the government on Monday, the suspensions brought as many as nine Opposition parties together.
Earlier on Monday, the Congress stuck to its condition that there could be no discussions in both Houses of Parliament until a Union minister and two chief ministers resigned. Party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad reiterated the Congress’ stand at the all-party meeting called by Union parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu which was also attended by Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The Left and JD(U) threw their weight behind the Congress.
However, the Trinamul and Biju Janata Dal struck discordant notes vis-a-vis the Congress and stated that they favoured functioning of Parlia-ment. But leaders of the two parties called upon the Congress and BJP to resolve the issue between themselves.
After the Speaker suspended 25 Congress MPs for five days, the divided Opposition came forth as a token of solidarity and nine parties decided to not attend proceedings of the Lok Sabha for the same duration.
Meanwhile, opposition protests and their heated exchanges with BJP members led to the adjournment of Rajya Sabha on Monday without transacting much business after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj defended herself over allegations of impropriety as Congress members asked how could she give a statement without the Chair’s permission.
Soon after the House assembled, Swaraj had managed to speak a few sentences during Zero Hour saying she had not made any request to the British government for issue of travel documents to Lalit Modi and asserted that all allegations against her were “baseless and unfounded”, amid thumping of desks by her party colleagues.
Angry Sonia Gandhi says it is a ‘black day’:
25 of Congress party’s 44 members in Lok Sabha were on Monday suspended for five days for causing disruptions, setting the stage for escalation in confrontation as nine opposition parties decided to boycott the House for these days to express solidarity with the suspended members.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took the decision, first such major action in the present Lok Sabha, against the members for “persistently, wilfully obstructing” the House by displaying placards and shouting slogans. Congress president Sonia Gandhi described it as a “black day for democracy”.
The Speaker, after several warnings, ‘named’ (identifying for action) the 25 Congress members who were in the Well demanding resignation of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje over Lalit Modi row and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan over Vyapam scam.
Contending that the members were “persistently, wilfully obstructing the House”, she invoked Rule 374(A) which provides for automatic suspension of a member for five days.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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