NEW DELHI: Differences among INDIA bloc parties became more visible Tuesday as TMC and SP refrained from joining Congress-led protests over the Adani issue in Lok Sabha.
MPs from Congress, AAP, RJD, Sena UBT, DMK and Left parties, among others, raised slogans against PM Narendra Modi demanding accountability be fixed for alleged corruption by the corporate house, and reiterated their demand for a JPC probe into the matter.
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, RJD’s Misa Bharti and Sena UBT’s Arvind Sawant participated in protest on the steps leading to Parliament’s Makar Dwar. There was a brief walkout by opposition before they returned to participate in further proceedings.
However, SP and TMC were conspicuous by their absence. TMC, which has not prioritised the Adani controversy as much and has argued that Parliament session should be used to raise issues of unemployment, price rise and alleged discrimination by Centre against opposition-governed states in fund allocation, had not attended INDIA bloc meeting at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence Monday.
Speaker Om Birla warned members that if House business was disrupted further due to adjournments, he would have to convene proceedings over the weekends to compensate for lost time. Govt and opposition parties reached an agreement Monday to end a week-long impasse in Parliament, announcing dates for a discussion on the Constitution, marking its 75th year of adoption, in both Houses.
As soon as LS assembled for question hour, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav raised Sambhal violence issue, seeking permission from Birla to speak on the subject. “This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives,” he said. While the speaker suggested that the issue could be raised during zero hour, Yadav and his party colleagues began to walk out in protest.