Cracks surface in Opposition unity over demonetisation protests
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to Opposition parties to support his drive against black money, like they had backed the goods and services tax (GST) Bill.
The PM’s remarks came at an all-party meeting chaired by him a day ahead of Parliament’s winter session starting Wednesday, where the Opposition plans to corner the Centre over the hardships people are facing due to the demonetisation of ~500 and ~1,000 notes.
“The PM also wanted Parliament to debate funding of political parties and holding simultaneous polls for state Assemblies and the Lok Sabha besides discussing all relevant issues,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said after the meeting.
Differences between the Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) showed up when the West Bengal Chief Minister said her party would lead a protest march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Day 1 of the session itself.
“There was a unanimous view that it was too early for a protest march to the President’s house. In a democracy, we should first explore all other options,” Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said after a meeting of the various Opposition parties.
Notably, senior TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien, who had attended a similar strategy meet on Monday, skipped Tuesday’s deliberations.
Sources said the Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiv Sena might join the proposed protest march of the TMC.
Sources added Banerjee was trying to be one up over other Opposition parties in protesting the demonetisation issue. The move could present her party as a ‘pressure group’ in Parliament.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had led Parliamentarians to Rashtrapati Bhavan against the controversial land acquisition ordinance brought by the Modi government in 2015.
Sonia, who had been unwell and had even skipped a Congress Working Committee meeting on November 7, reviewed the Parliament strategy with party leaders at her residence. Her son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi also attended the meet.
According to Congress managers, their divergent views on the protest march did not mean they had dropped the demonetisation issue. Rather, party managers said the Opposition should first try to pin the government over the issue on the floor of the House and see what the Centre had to say.
“The protest march as a show of strength can come later,” said a Congress veteran.
Opposition parties could again meet on Wednesday morning to finalise their strategy.
Both Congress and TMC have given notice for suspension of the Rajya Sabha business to take up debate on the demonetisation issue. The Congress would raise a similar demand in the Lok Sabha as well. But, the Opposition is more focused on the Rajya Sabha as it has greater numerical strength over the ruling National Democratic Alliance there.
16TH NOVEMBER, 2016, THE BUSINESS STANDARD, NEW DELHI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to Opposition parties to support his drive against black money, like they had backed the goods and services tax (GST) Bill.
The PM’s remarks came at an all-party meeting chaired by him a day ahead of Parliament’s winter session starting Wednesday, where the Opposition plans to corner the Centre over the hardships people are facing due to the demonetisation of ~500 and ~1,000 notes.
“The PM also wanted Parliament to debate funding of political parties and holding simultaneous polls for state Assemblies and the Lok Sabha besides discussing all relevant issues,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said after the meeting.
Differences between the Congress and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) showed up when the West Bengal Chief Minister said her party would lead a protest march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Day 1 of the session itself.
“There was a unanimous view that it was too early for a protest march to the President’s house. In a democracy, we should first explore all other options,” Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said after a meeting of the various Opposition parties.
Notably, senior TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien, who had attended a similar strategy meet on Monday, skipped Tuesday’s deliberations.
Sources said the Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiv Sena might join the proposed protest march of the TMC.
Sources added Banerjee was trying to be one up over other Opposition parties in protesting the demonetisation issue. The move could present her party as a ‘pressure group’ in Parliament.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had led Parliamentarians to Rashtrapati Bhavan against the controversial land acquisition ordinance brought by the Modi government in 2015.
Sonia, who had been unwell and had even skipped a Congress Working Committee meeting on November 7, reviewed the Parliament strategy with party leaders at her residence. Her son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi also attended the meet.
According to Congress managers, their divergent views on the protest march did not mean they had dropped the demonetisation issue. Rather, party managers said the Opposition should first try to pin the government over the issue on the floor of the House and see what the Centre had to say.
“The protest march as a show of strength can come later,” said a Congress veteran.
Opposition parties could again meet on Wednesday morning to finalise their strategy.
Both Congress and TMC have given notice for suspension of the Rajya Sabha business to take up debate on the demonetisation issue. The Congress would raise a similar demand in the Lok Sabha as well. But, the Opposition is more focused on the Rajya Sabha as it has greater numerical strength over the ruling National Democratic Alliance there.
16TH NOVEMBER, 2016, THE BUSINESS STANDARD, NEW DELHI
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