Parliament paralysed as ‘united’ Opp corners Govt
As part of her exercise to bring together the Opposition parties to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence on Wednesday. Separately, 14 Opposition parties held a meeting in Parliament to corner the Government on a range of issues, clearly indicating that the “unity” move was not just a solo venture.
During Mamata’s “chai pe charcha” with Sonia, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi too was present.
Describing the meeting as “positive”, Mamata said she discussed the political situation in the country as well as Opposition unity with the Gandhis.
“It was a very good meeting,” the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo told reporters after a 35-minute talk with Sonia and Rahul.
“Soniaji had invited me for a cup of tea. We discussed the political situation in the country. We also discussed the issue of Opposition unity,” she said.
“To defeat the BJP, all of us have to come together and work together,” Mamata said on Opposition unity.
Taking on the Government over the Pegasus snooping controversy, Mamata said, “Why is the Government not replying on the Pegasus issue? If there is no discussion in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha (on Pegasus), where will this discussion be held? Discussions are held in Parliament, not at tea stalls.”
After Sonia, the TMC leader also called on her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal. Mamata was accompanied by her nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee, while AAP MLA Raghav Chadha was with Kejriwal. She is also looking forward to call on NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar and other Opposition leaders.
Responding to a question on Opposition unity, Mamata said, “The country will lead the Opposition, we are the followers. Opposition unity will happen naturally, automatically.” Mamata said the elections are far away but planning for it has to be done in advance.
She added she will meet all Opposition members after the Parliament session is over and the coronavirus situation normalises, indicating that another visit soon was on her
agenda.
The TMC supremo has been reaching out to various Opposition leaders in a bid to bring together the non-BJP forces ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, the Opposition paralysed Parliament on Wednesday for the seventh day in a row and closed ranks to plan a broad based strategy to corner the Modi Government on a range of issues, including snooping, unemployment, rising prices and welfare of the farmers and the poor.
The coming together of Opposition parties to derail the Parliament session is nothing new, but this time there seems to be a determination to carry forward this unity exercise to a logical conclusion and draw the outline of a pan-India formation to take on the BJP in 2024 lok Sabha polls.
Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP, the Left parties, DMK, RJD, the National Conference and Samajwadi Party took part in the meeting of total of 14 Opposition parties which met to talk strategy over the Pegasus phone-hacking row and other issues to aggressively attack the Centre.
TMC and BSP, however, did not join for the meeting though TMC conveyed their reasons for being absent as they were preoccupied with various engagements of party leader Mamata Banerjee who is in the national Capital.
After the meeting, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said the Prime Minister “inserted a weapon in our phones”, used it to “hit the soul of India’s democracy” and now the Government is trying to silence Opposition demands for a discussion in Parliament.
“The entire Opposition is here. Our voice is being curtailed in Parliament. We are only asking if the Pegasus software was bought and if it was used against certain persons in India,” Rahul Gandhi said addressing the media after the meeting.
The Press conference was joined by all the “like minded” Opposition leaders present in the meeting including Sanjay Raut, Supriya Sule, Manoj Jha, Bhagwant Mann, Ram Gopal Yadav Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma others.
“I want to ask the people - there is a weapon Narendra Modi has planted in your phones... used against opposition leaders, journalists, activists... should there not be a discussion in Parliament?”
“... if we (the opposition) agree there will be no discussion on Pegasus... the issue will get buried... till the time Pegasus is not discussed in Parliament, we are going nowhere,” Rahul stressed.
On the accusations by ruling BJP and Government the Congress is “not letting Parliament run”, the Congress leader said :”They say we are disturbing Parliament (but) we want to fulfill our responsibilities and this is against the democratic process.” Rahul’s name has also figured in the snooping list by Pegasus that has stalled the Monsoon session so far.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who was part of meeting, said the opposition is “united in our stand to protect issues of national security, democracy and farmers’ welfare”.
“Like Rahulji explained, the Government has used this weapon as an arrow again democracy and we will not stand for it. This must be discussed in Parliament,” Raut said, pointing out that statements - such as that read out by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw - did not constitute a discussion.
Both Sule and Jha echoed the common concern of the Opposition and that they will together fight for the right of the people.
Other political outfits - the Muslim League, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, Kerala Congress, and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi also took part in the meeting held in the Parliament premises. A day earlier in the Opposition parties meeting, SAD were also part of it following which seven parties sans Congress wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind to direct the Government to allow a discussion in the Parliament on snooping row.
TMC was absent but party Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said the Opposition is “100 per cent united”, and that the Congress was conveyed about their inability to participate in the days meeting.
The Wednesday meeting was called after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress for “not letting Parliament run”. He accused the Opposition party of deliberately spurning attempts at resolving the impasse.
The Opposition together insisted after both the days of meetings that the government is to be blamed for the non-functioning of Parliament, as it is not agreeing to opposition parties’ “united” demand for a discussion on the Pegasus issue.
Later in the day, Rahul took to social media saying “sitting with the entire Opposition is extremely humbling. Amazing experience, wisdom and insight in everyone present”