Ten days into the protest against the government for the “illegal” suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha members, a section of the Opposition feels that there should be a parallel agitation outside Parliament to make an impact.
At the morning meeting of the Opposition floor leaders, according to the sources, CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem suggested two options, one to organise a day-long agitation at Jantar Mantar where leaders of all Opposition parties and the suspended MPs can congregate. Second, to hold seminars highlighting how the suspension is “unconstitutional and illegal”.
Congress’s role
The growing sentiment is that the Congress is not shouldering its responsibility of gathering forces to raise the decibel levels both inside and outside Parliament on the issue. Many in the Congress and outside have also complained of lack of clarity in the party on the protest.
On Thursday, the protests were halted for the day in tribute to General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others who were killed in a helicopter crash at Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. There was a difference of opinion in Friday’s meeting, whether the protest should be suspended for another day, since Gen. Rawat and others’ funeral was underway. The Congress, Samajwadi Party and the AAP suggested that protests both inside and outside the House must be suspended. But the TMC, Left and Shiv Sena did not agree.
Inside the Rajya Sabha too, there was divergence in the Opposition strategy.
“Since the last rites of Gen. Rawat and others are being conducted this afternoon, out of profound respect Opposition will refrain from its protests against the unconstitutional and illegal suspension of 12 Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha today as well,” Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
Trinamool walkout
Inside the House, the Congress participated in the proceedings, while the Trinamool Congress staged a walkout. “On Thursday, we cooperated with the government because of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement on the Coonoor chopper crash. But the government availed the opportunity to run the House in complete ignorance of the 12 of our colleagues who are sitting outside,” TMC MP Sushmita Dev said.
The winter session is halfway through and with nine more sitting to go, fatigue has set in among the protesters too. On Friday, only a few lawmakers like Karti Chidambaram, Benny Behanan (both Congress), Sougata Roy, Sukhendhu Shekhar Roy, Ms. Dev, Jawahar Sircar, Mausam Noor, Nadimul Haque (Trinamool Congress), Jaya Bachchan (Samajwadi Party), Sanjay Singh (AAP) and Manoj K Jha (RJD) visited the dharna site. The suspended MPs too wrapped the protests for the day at 1.00 p.m., heading back to home for the weekend.
The suspended MPs together also visited the Kamraj Marg residence of General Rawat to pay their last respects. Mr. Kareemand Binoy Viswam (CPI) though did not accompany the others.
