With the standoff in Parliament, triggered by the Congress's insistence on a thorough discussion on the Adani bribery allegations and the government’s reluctance to accept it, showing no signs of ending, there is unease among a section of the party's Lok Sabha MPs as well as some other Opposition parties over the continued stalling of the two Houses. As it is, it is largely the Congress MPs who have been demanding a discussion on the Adani issue – leading to a washout of the first week of the Winter Session. The notices by other Opposition MPs were over other issues, including the Manipur situation and the Sambhal violence. Parties such as the Trinamool Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) are not keen to raise the Adani issue. The Adani issue is a pet theme of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and hence the Congress MPs have no option but to give notices demanding suspension of all business for taking up a discussion on the issue. But a section of its MPs, particularly those in the Lok Sabha, believes the House should resume normal business, which it argues will give them an opportunity to hold the NDA government accountable — using the Question Hour and discussions — and raise important issues during the Zero Hour. A section of the Congress's Lok Sabha MPs believe it is the party’s Rajya Sabha leadership that is calling the shots. As for other Opposition parties, the TMC has already declared that it wants the House to run. The Left, too, is concerned that the Opposition is not able to make its points in Parliament because of the disruptions. The leaders of the INDIA bloc will meet at the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber on Monday morning to review the floor strategy. At least half a dozen MPs of the Congress whom The Indian Express spoke to said that they did not appreciate “disruptions of the proceedings as a protest without exploring the chances for cornering the government over issues in debate”. Many of them also said that despite the increase in the number of MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha, it is a “handful of Rajya Sabha MPs who take decisions and dictate the party’s position” in Parliament. “We have won elections. Are we not accountable to our voters? If we do not discuss their issues in the House during the limited time in the sessions, how can we do justice to them? Rajya Sabha MPs do not have to be answerable to voters like us,” said an MP. Pointing out that the Congress and other Opposition parties had lost considerable time in protests during the 17th lok Sabha as well and that there is a view emerging among Opposition MPs cutting across age and region that such protests are not effective, a senior MP said: “Parliament is a unique forum in which only parliamentarians get to record their views for posterity. Giving up that opportunity is actually a betrayal of their electorate. These protests are neither noticed nor yielding any impact on the ground. Issues we seem to be harping on absolutely have no resonance with the common man.” Sources in the TMC said the party’s leadership had identified five issues that it wants to be discussed in both Houses of Parliament. These issues are inflation, unemployment, deprivation of housing and other funds for West Bengal, fertiliser shortage, and violence in Manipur. Missing from the agenda is the Adani indictment. “We want Parliament to run. We don't want one issue to disrupt Parliament. We must hold this government accountable for multiple failures,” said a TMC Lok Sabha MP. Even smaller allies of the Congress expressed displeasure over the ongoing chaos in the House and adjournments without transacting any business. “Initially, the understanding was that the Opposition would disrupt the proceedings only for a day and we would cooperate for the business and discussions for the remaining days. But this is just going on. This is not the way,” said an ally leader. MPs feel that the Opposition has “just fallen into the trap” of the treasury benches, which they said, did not want to face any serious debate on the floor of the House. “Now that the Opposition is a significant force in the Lok Sabha and having speakers who have the ability to put the government on mat, we should be using opportunities – Zero Hour, Question Hour, debates on Bills etc – to grill the government. Now we are giving them a cake walk. The real questions are not being asked, the real issues are not being talked about,” said an MP. “I can and I am sure many other MPs can bring in issues like Adani also to my speeches,” he said. Many Congress MPs feel that their party’s strategy is decided by Rajya Sabha leaders and they do not pay heed to their requests. “One MP gets a starred question (those which can be orally asked during the Question Hour) out of the notices given by 543 MPs. He or she may get one starred question once or twice during a session. If we miss that chance, we may not get it again during the entire session. Same is with the Zero Hour mentions, too. Continuous disruptions deny our chance to raise important issues,” said an MP. “If we do not have a decent record on raising issues in Parliament, we will be asked questions by our voters. My voters are already asking why am I wasting time in Delhi,” the MP said. Incidentally, the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into Parliament has given some of the Congress MPs hopes that the leadership would have a more “practical approach”. “Priyanka’s approach in her campaign has proved so far that she is more practical and commanding when it comes to decisions. Her presence in the Lok Sabha and the meetings could make the Congress approach more pragmatic and appealing,” said in MP. “In Wayanad also she was very particular; she raised issues linked to the respective locality she is addressing instead of having one speech that fits for all,” said the leader, who was involved in the campaign for the November by-election.
