NEW DELHI: CRACKS in the Opposition ranks once again came to the fore on Tuesday during protests demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe on the Hindenburg report, which accused the Adani group of fraud and stock manipulation.
Soon after the Lok Sabha was adjourned in the morning due to protests over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, the Congress and several other parties, including the DMK, CPM, JDU, RJD, NCP, SP and others staged a protest outside Parliament demanding a JPC probe. However, the division among the opposition was apparent as the BRS and AAP chose to stand a little away from other parties, holding placards demanding a JPC investigation.
Raising the same demand, the TMC chose to go alone by holding a protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex. The disunity among the parties was also evident at the Opposition party meeting called by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in the past two days to fine-tune strategy for the Parliament session. The AAP was present, but TMC stayed away on both days.
The AAP and the Congress are at loggerheads in several states. The tension between both parties escalated after the arrest of AAP leader and Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi liquor scam case. While all the other Opposition parties condemned the arrest, Congress welcomed it. The Congress was also missing from the list of signatories after 10 parties wrote to the PM lambasting the misuse of agencies.
Similarly, the BRS and TMC share rocky ties with the Congress because the parties believe the grand old party is trying to play a big brother’s role. During the recent Meghalaya assembly election campaign, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the TMC the B team of the BJP.
Parliament logjam
Parliament proceedings were paralysed on Tuesday with the BJP seeking Rahul Gandhi’s apology and the Congress waving placards with quotes from PM Narendra Modi’s speeches during his foreign trips.