A job opening: main Opp party in House

Deputy Leader V K Malhotra has been away in Athens; second-rung leaders Santosh Gangwar and Sushil Modi have not managed to make their presence felt; and the silent bystanders who make up the bulk of the party’s line-up in the 14th Lok Sabha have been, well, silent bystanders. As the first week of the post-recess leg of the Budget Session draws to a close, what stands out is that despite its awesome reputation of being a ‘‘natural party of the Opposition,’’ the BJP-led NDA has failed to turn the heat on the government on a single current issue affecting the nation.

But the only issue the BJP—acting more as the B team of the Shiv Sena—has taken up with gusto is the alleged “insult” to controversial freedom fighter and Hindu Mahasabha leader V D Savarkar. For the last three days, party MPs in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have forced adjournments over the Savarkar question, and are likely to continue doing so.

In the process, the party has done what it vowed not to do—cede the “opposition space” to the Left and others. In the inter-session period, BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu and vice president M A Naqvi repeatedly stressed that the party would take up issues affecting the aam aadmi—issues like price rise, PF interest rate cut, floods, drought, Manipur et al.

But in the House, BJP MPs have not raised a din nor initiated any discussion—through call attention motions or under Rule 193—on any of these issues, leaving the field open to the ‘‘non-Oppn, non-ruling parties.’’

Sample this:

• On Monday, Prabodh Panda (CPI) and Ramji Lal Suman (SP) raised a discussion on the flood and drought situation in the country. There were only a handful of Opposition MPs throughout the discussion.

• On Tuesday, Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) initiated a calling attention motion on the reduction of EPF interest rate to 8.5%; this was followed by a discussion under Rule 193 initiated by Prabodh Panda and Basudeb Acharia (CPM) on shortage of power in country.

• On Wednesday, five MPs belonging to DMK, PMK, CPI, and CPM moved a calling attention on the Supreme Court order on the right to strike. This was followed by a discussion raised by Rupchand Pal and Acharia (both CPM) on the problems faced by the jute industry.

• And today, two major discussions were scheduled: on the law and order situation in Manipur listed in the name of P A Sangma (TMC) and Ramji Lal Suman (SP); and a discussion streamlining the PDS by Basudeb Acharia (CPM). Neither could take place because the House was prematurely adjourned on the Savarkar issue.