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INDIA bloc allies Congress and the Trinamool Congress continued to speak in contrasting voices on Wednesday as protests disrupted yet another day of Parliament’s Winter Session.
While Congress MP Rahul Gandhi assured that the Opposition’s aim was for the Lok Sabha to function, Trinamool, however, struck a divergent note with MP Kalyan Banerjee accusing the Congress, along with the BJP, of dictating how the House functions.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said, “Our aim is that the House must run, and a discussion should happen in the House. Let them say whatever they want against me, we want the Constitution debate.”
A discussion on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution will take place in the Lok Sabha on Friday and Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to respond to the debate on Saturday.
The Congress MP went on to say that BJP leaders were making “baseless” allegations against him to avoid a discussion in the House on the bribery case against Adani Group chairperson Gautam Adani.
“No matter what they say about me, we want the debate on the Constitution to take place on December 13. They don’t want a discussion about Adani (bribery case). They will keep levelling allegations at us, but the House must function,” the Leader of the Opposition said, adding that he met the Lok Sabha Speaker today and urged him to remove remarks made against him by BJP MPs.
“It is very simple, they do not want a discussion on the Adani issue and want to distract from the Adani issue. You know, we will not leave them at the end,” he said.
In total contradiction to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee said the House functions according to the BJP and Congress.
“They decide how long it will function. This is not correct… The BJP and Congress get more opportunities to speak. We don’t get the opportunity to speak. Other political parties are suffering,” he alleged.
Congress allies, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, have not participated in the Opposition protests in Parliament that have erupted almost every day since the Winter Session began on November 20, disrupting proceedings in both the Houses.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi and several Opposition INDIA bloc MPs greeted BJP members in Parliament with placards and the Tricolour on Wednesday, urging them to allow the House to function.
The Congress MP also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and sought to present the flag but the latter moved on after exchanging pleasantries.
