We want Parliament to run: Trinamool Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’ Brien
O’ Brien’s assertion comes against the backdrop of two sittings of Parliament failing to transact any substantive business following protests led by the Congress seeking parliamentary probe into Adani Group
by Sobhana K. Nair · The Hindu
Striking a different note from the rest of the Opposition, Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien on Wednesday said his party was keen that the Parliament should “run”.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool’s working committee arrived at six subjects and said it will remain focused on these “people-centric” issues during the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament.
Parliament Winter Session: LIVE updates on November 27, 2024
“We want the Parliament to run, you can’t let one issue hijack the entire House,” Mr. O’ Brien said hours after Opposition protests forced the early adjournment of the two Houses. While the Congress and several other allies have been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged corruption charges against the Adani Group, the issue does not figure in the six focus issues decided by the Trinamool.
The Trinamool has skipped both the meetings of the INDIA bloc floor leaders called by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday and Wednesday. It has given indications that it will not be willing to accept the Congress’s lead in deciding its parliamentary strategy.
Related Stories
33 supercomputers deployed in India till November: Centre tells Lok Sabha
Blankets used by train passengers washed at least once a month, Rail Minister tells LS
Parliamentary proceedings | Both Houses adjourn for the day amid Opposition protest
The six focus issues are deprivation of Central funds to West Bengal, inflation, unemployment, fertiliser shortage, Manipur strife, and the Aparajita Bill 2024 passed by the State Assembly seeking stricter punishment for convicted rapists. According to sources, as per the party’s internal assessment, the Opposition narrative on alleged corruption by industrialist Gautam Adani was not cutting much ice with the electorate. This view, a senior party leader said, was reinforced with the Opposition’s emphatic defeat in Maharashtra.
When asked if the Trinamool’s divergence on the Adani issue also translates to a divorce from the INDIA bloc, Mr. O’ Brien said, “Trinamool is the only party in the INDIA bloc which does not have an electoral alliance with the Congress. This is a fact.” And each constituent of the INDIA bloc, he said, is entitled to its own view. “The Trinamool will take on the BJP but our outlook can be different from their outlook,” he said. But whenever there was convergence with any other Opposition party, on any issue, the Trinamool “will stand by” them. “If, for example, any Opposition party is to protest the denial of Central funds to State governments, we will be there,” he said.
Published - November 27, 2024 09:23 pm IST