JOIN USTMC bats for discussion in House as other Oppn parties disrupt proceedings
Opposition parties, which have been disrupting Parliament over the Adani-Hindenburg issue, on Tuesday faced a difference of opinion on the strategy with the Trinamool Congress favouring a discussion in the House to “expose” the Modi government.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) skipped a meeting of opposition leaders this morning but joined them in a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe or a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the Adani issue.
The meeting called to coordinate a joint strategy in the House on the Adani issue was held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by leaders of the Congress, DMK, NCP, BRS, JDU, SP, CPM, CPI, JMM, RLD, RSP, AAP, IUML, RJD and Shiv Sena.
"We want to have a discussion this week on the President’s address and expose this government. We in the Opposition can out-debate the BJP and forcefully make our points. Let us see what tomorrow brings," Derek O’Brien, parliamentary party leader of the Trinamool Congress, said.
On Sunday too, the TMC leader had said his party wants a debate, not disruption, and any party which disrupts proceedings in the House is in cahoots with the BJP.
Earlier on Monday, O'Brien tweeted that all parties from the Opposition have jointly taken a call that unless the Union government "themselves disrupt" Parliament, the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address will begin in both Houses at 2 pm.
However, other opposition parties disrupted the proceedings on the third day and the debate was not taken up.
While it was a loss of face for the TMC, party sources said several leaders of the Congress and other parties shared its views on the pitfalls of taking a stand to disrupt parliament instead of pushing to speak.
Veteran Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and P Chidambaram were keen on participating in the discussion, they said.
Trinamool leaders were of the opinion that raising the Adani issue in both Houses by opposition members would be a more fruitful use of the time allotted to them.
"We want an orderly discussion on a matter of great public importance and the only way to discuss it is to give a notice under Rule 267 and seek the permission of the Chair.
"But every attempt to do this has been rejected by the Chair. We are deeply disappointed and sorry," Chidambaram said.
Opposition leaders said the House is expected to be "calm" on Tuesday allowing it to take up the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.
"If your intention is to create chaos then it's ok, but if you really want a solution to a problem, then a discussion is the only option... Anything under the sky can be discussed during the discussion on the President's speech. Why are you not using Parliament to convey your thoughts?
"Every opposition member could have raised the Adani issue and even exerted some pressure on the government," said LJP leader Chirag Paswan.