NEW DELHI: Toeing a different line to that of its partners in the INDIA bloc, Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday said there is a need to address real issues affecting the people, rather than disrupting both Houses of Parliament over “one issue.”
While the Congress has demanded discussion on industrialist Gautam Adani’s alleged involvement in a bribery and fraud case in the US, the TMC said it wants both Houses to function to make the government accountable on things ranging from central funding to the situation in Manipur.
“TMC will sharply focus on ‘people’s issues’ to raise in Parliament,” said Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, according to news agency PTI.
The remarks followed the second consecutive day of adjournments in both Houses, prompted by the opposition raising the Adani issue. “TMC wants Parliament to run. We don’t want one issue to disrupt Parliament. We must hold this government accountable for its multiple failures,” Dastidar said
“We will take on the BJP, but our approach to doing so can be strategically different,” she added.
The development comes in the wake of the TMC skipping an INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, where the alliance decided to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani Group issues. The TMC also missed an opposition meeting on Wednesday aimed at discussing key matters for the ongoing session.
Central funding issues, including the halting of Mngrega funds for West Bengal, remain the TMC’s top priority, alongside concerns over price rise, unemployment, and fertilizer shortages, according to party sources cited by PTI.
Despite being members of the INDIA bloc, the relationship between the TMC and Congress has often seen rough patches. From the TMC contesting Lok Sabha elections independently to disagreeing on seat sharing, the differences between the two parties have come up often, particularly after Congress’s losses in Haryana and Maharashtra.
After Congress’s unexpected defeat in Haryana in October, rift is at the forefront with several INDIA bloc partners, including AAP and Shiv Sena (UBT), hitting out at the party for “arrogance” and not keeping regional allies in the loop. “Congress could not capitalise despite a favorable situation,” Shiv Sena (UBT) had said after election results.
“The biggest lesson here is to avoid overconfidence in elections,” Arvind Kejriwal had said hitting out at Congress.
Similarly, following Congress’s disappointing performance in Maharashtra, the TMC called for introspection and even suggested Mamata Banerjee as a potential leader for the INDIA bloc.
“The Congress has failed to achieve the desired result either in Haryana or in Maharashtra. We had tremendous hope from the Congress that they would do better. Today it is necessary if you want to fight against the BJP, INDIA alliance should be stronger. And to make it stronger, one leader is required,” TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Tuesday.