Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress on Wednesday clubbed ally Congress along with the ruling BJP as responsible for disruption of Parliament in the ongoing winter session.
“Both the parties, the BJP and the Congress, whenever they decide, House is adjourned,” Kalyan Banerjee, Trinamul MP from Serampore, said outside Parliament.
“Everyday, House will continue only on the choice of the Congress and the BJP. If Congress thinks the House will continue, the House will continue. If they think half an hour the House will continue, the House will continue for half an hour. If BJP thinks it will continue for half an hour, it will continue. This is not proper.”
The outburst comes at a time there is speculation of cracks within the INDIA bloc over who should lead the alliance. A number of INDIA bloc leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Lalu Prasad, have seemingly batted for the Trinamul chief.
A known Mamata-loyalist, Kalyan Banerjee would not have pinned both the Congress and the BJP without the nod from the party leadership.
Since the start of the winter session on November 25, the Congress has demanded discussions on the indictment in the US of industrialist Gautam Adani. The Opposition has been holding regular protests outside Parliament with all sorts of accessories – including masks and bags – linking Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Trinamul has been conspicuously absent from these protests.
This week, the BJP has launched a broadside against the Congress over its alleged links with Hungarian-American businessman and investor George Soros – who has been vocal against Adani – and described it as a threat to “national security”.
“So many parties are there. Parliamentary democracy does not depend upon the Congress and the BJP,” said KAlyan Banerjee.
“One day the Congress wants to continue, BJP is disturbing. One day BJP is trying to continue, Congress is disturbing. And, we the rest of the parties cannot speak anywhere. BJP is the ruling party, they get the preference. Congress is the main Opposition, they get the preference. We can’t speak on the issues we want to. This is not appreciable.”
In the 543-member Lok Sabha, the BJP has the highest 240 members, followed by the Congress at 99 and the Samajwadi Party with 37 at third. The Trinamul Congress has 28 MPs.
Asked why the issue of disruptions could not be sorted within the Opposition alliance, Kalyan Banerjee said: “Forget about that [INDIA bloc]. That is your agenda, not mine,” he said.
“I will request everyone. I will request the Speaker also. Please take care of us also,” he added.
At the beginning of the winter session, the Trinamul Congress did not agree with the Congress’ persisting on the Adani issue on the floors of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
“INDIA was formed as a platform for all the opposition parties to come together to defeat the BJP,” said a senior national-level Congress leader, requesting anonymity.
“There never was any one individual to lead the alliance. With 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, the Congress is the largest opposition party and our leader Rahul Gandhi is the leader of Opposition,” the Congress leader added.
Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar on Wednesday urged Mamata Banerjee to focus on Bengal’s law and order situation.
“Mamata Banerjee’s action has on several occasions provided oxygen to the BJP and derailed a united Opposition front when the BJP is in crisis,” Sarkar wrote on his social media.
“When the BJP is struggling to justify its constitutional violations, Adani corruption, and election malpractices, a claim to assert leadership is nothing but a divisive mechanism to provide advantage to the BJP. The “I” in I.N.D.I.A alliance stands for inclusive and every decision of the alliance should be collective in fighting the BJP through a common minimum programme.
He added: “The TMC faces the BJP only in every five years during Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. However, the Indian National Congress takes on the BJP and their propaganda on an everyday basis across every booth, block, district, State and every constituency possible.”
He said the Congress’ fight against the BJP was ideological and not restricted to electoral performance.
Sarkar cited the Trinamul’s decision to abstain from the election of the vice-president allowing Jagdeep Dhankhar, the then governor of Bengal, to sail through.
On Tuesday, the Trinamul did sign a motion to remove Dhankhar as chairman of the Rajya Sabha, a motion that is a first in India’s parliamentary history.
“West Bengal needs better governance and before extending the wings of TMC, it will be prudent to first safeguard their only and losing bastion,” Sarkar said. “The reduction in the vote share of Indian National and Left political parties in West Bengal also indicates that there is a steady rise of BJP in the State. It is imperative that all democratic forces come together and stop the autocratic and communal BJP.”
The Congress and the Left had failed to win a single seat in the 2021 Bengal Assembly polls.