Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leader Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with other leaders at the opposition meeting in Bengaluru on July 17, 2023. (Pic: Twitter/@kharge)
Monsoon session of Parliament will start from 20th July till 11th August
the opposition will enter monsoon session With a spring at the feet of Parliament. He is convinced that he has hit the jackpot with the new name of his alliance ‘India’. And it is armed with a range of issues with which it hopes to confront the government – from the Manipur violence to the misuse of the CBI and ED and the Delhi ordinance.
But there are some issues that could eclipse opposition unity and expose rifts.
west bengal panchayat election violence
The Bharatiya Janata Party plans to counter pressure from the opposition in Manipur by demanding a debate on the panchayat election violence. And here’s a problem. While the BJP will target the Trinamool Congress over the matter, it will keep a close eye on the Congress and the Left, both of which have attacked the TMC at the state level. For the sake of opposition unity, both the organizations are tight-lipped on the issue. Can they afford to do the same to their voters in Parliament?
delhi ordinance
Just before the Bengaluru opposition meeting, the Congress bowed down to the Aam Aadmi Party and decided not to support the ordinance. While smiles broke out, several leaders of the Punjab and Delhi Congress were chirping.
So when the Ordinance Bill comes up for vote in Parliament, Punjab Congress MPs will be watching with apprehension. A Congress leader told News18, “In the worst case, it is best if our party decides to remain absent. Anyway the numbers are with BJP, it will be passed. But openly voting against it would be an insult to our state unit which is fighting the state government, and it would be difficult just before the Lok Sabha elections.
Adani issue
Sources say that the Congress is keen to raise the issue once again. In the absence of Rahul Gandhi due to his disqualification from Parliament, the party wants to raise an issue which is dear to the former MP. But other opposition parties like TMC, AAP and Samajwadi Party are not too keen as they feel that this is an issue which is not popular among the masses.
However, as the BJP finds loopholes in the opposition’s armour, it hopes that the idea of India will help it overcome these hurdles.
