New Delhi: The Congress party on Saturday called for a “united and cohesive” Opposition in Parliament after the unanimous re-election of party president Sonia Gandhi as chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party at the first meeting of the CPP general body after the Lok Sabha elections.
The first session of the 16th Lok Sabha is expected in June. A resolution adopted by the CPP general body meeting said, “The CPP expresses the hope that all progressive and secular forces in Parliament will coordinate their strategies effectively so as to present a united and cohesive Opposition” and assured other “like-minded” parties that it would extend its cooperation in this regard.
Mrs Gandhi, in her address, said, “We can and will work together with like-minded parties to strengthen the watchful role of the parliamentary Opposition.”
The message is loud and clear, the Congress wants to work with the non-NDA parties, especially the AIADMK, Trinamul and Biju Janata Dal, in Parliament.
It will be interesting to see how the leaders of these parties, Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik would respond to Mrs Gandhi’s call. “Our strength in the Lok Sabha may be small, but we are still the largest party in the Rajya Sabha. Together, the CPP is still a formidable group and can function as a formidable Opposition,” Mrs Gandhi said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Milind Deora, who had questioned the role of Mr Gandhi’s advisors as well as “those who take the advice”, has come under fire from party leaders.
“Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan. The same people, who are now speaking out were, before May 16, very comfortable with all those whom they are speaking against now. They are young people. They have not seen defeat. So they will learn from the defeat,” party general secretary Digvijay Singh said, without naming Mr Deora, a former Union minister who lost his election from Mumbai south.
