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Journalism of Courage
Parliament was adjourned without transacting any legislative business yet again on Monday, for the sixth consecutive day, as the ruling BJP insisted on an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his alleged anti-India remarks in London, while the Opposition reiterated that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) be constituted to look into the allegations of fraud and stock manipulation against the Adani Group.
There is no sign of a thaw in the stalemate, despite Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a meeting with leaders from both sides in his chamber.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been seeing repeated adjournments since March 13 when the Budget Session resumed.
On Monday, BJP MPs were on their feet almost immediately as the Lok Sabha convened at 11 am, even as the Congress that is seeking a chance for Rahul to forward his side of the story in the House refrained from entering the Well. Other Opposition members also stayed in their seats.
When the Speaker said he would allow a discussion on a notice “according to rules and procedures”, Congress MP and Leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked him to direct the ruling party MPs to sit down. “I want to see the House run, I will give both sides an occasion to speak,” Birla said, even as the pandemonium continued.
Finally the House ran for barely a couple of minutes, with Birla seeking to calm down agitating members and asking them to come to his chamber to find a way out. “We will find a solution and run the House. We will discuss your topics and issues also,” he said.
But, talking to the Indian Express outside the House, Chowdhury said there was no sign of talks from the government. “Rahul Gandhi is entitled to give his personal explanation under Rule 357 of the Rules and Procedures of the Lok Sabha as the ruling party has raised allegations against him,” he said.
Countering, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said: “The Opposition is trying to unnecessarily disrupt Parliament, which is not good. We want to run the House, so we made the request. Should he not apologise?”
Sources in the government said the BJP was in no mood for a climbdown on its demand for an apology from Rahul. “The party’s internal meetings on Monday ahead of the day’s session also decided to keep up the pressure on Rahul and the Congress in the House,” a leader said.
Away from the House too, the BJP did not let up on Rahul, releasing two videos attacking the Congress leader, one tagged ‘Rahul Gandhi Hoon, Deshbhakt Nahin’, and the other ‘Des Mein Bharat Jodo, Pardes Mein Bharat Todo!’.
At a press conference held in the morning, Union Minister Hardeep Puri took on the Congress leader. “If any individual travels outside the country, he has the freedom to speak. But along with that freedom of speech comes the need to have a sense of responsibility… To begin with, you need closure and the closure will only come if he apologises. And, he should apologise categorically, unequivocally.”
One reason for the BJP’s intransigence is that, as far as passage of the Union Budget is concerned, the BJP feels it has plenty of time to do so as the Session gets over only on April 6. Plus, the BJP sees the PM Modi vs Rahul Gandhi narrative going in its favour in the coming elections in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where the Congress and BJP are engaged in a direct fight and where communal polarisation does not seem enough to swing votes for the party.
In Karnataka, where elections are to be announced soon, the BJP is tackling issues such as uncertainty over leadership and factionalism, while anti-incumbency trails it in Madhya Pradesh.
A no-holds-barred assault on Rahul puts the Congress on the back foot, and leaves the party engaged in defending its senior leader. Plus, it is likely to derail any attempts by the Opposition to come together on a common platform against the BJP.
On Sunday, Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the BJP was “trying to make a hero out of Rahul Gandhi to divert attention from burning issues”.
The Opposition said that keeping Parliament disrupted also helps the government duck discussion on any uncomfortable issues. “ It’s clear that in the debate on the Finance Bill, a number of issues can come up that the government does not want to hear on the floor of Parliament, does not want TV listeners to hear and does not want debated. It seems their first objective is to prevent a serious debate in Parliament during the Budget Session, which is a disgrace,” Congress leader Shashi Tharoor told The Indian Express.
