INDIA leaders push Congress on seat talks
The Congress announced it had called an informal meeting of the INDIA bloc on December 6 and said the party wanted to “fully participate in the debates in both Houses”
New Delhi At least two members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Monday asked the Congress to immediately start seat-sharing talks for the 2024 elections as constituents of the Opposition bloc mounted pressure and insisted that proceedings in the ongoing winter session not be disrupted on any issue to allow participation in debates.
A day after the Congress suffered an electoral drubbing in India’s heartland, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the lack of seat-sharing arrangements for the losses, and said it was a defeat of the Congress, not a disaster for the larger Opposition. Her comments come at a time when the alliance faces an existential crisis even before fully taking shape as a result of Sunday’s verdict.
“Look at the figures. BJP won by thin margins. It happened because of split in (Opposition) votes. There should have been proper seat sharing,” Banerjee said.
“The results have come, and arrogance has ended,” said Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, who had spoken out against the lack of a pact during the Madhya Pradesh election campaign.
In the evening, the Congress announced it had called an informal meeting of the INDIA bloc on December 6 and said the party wanted to “fully participate in the debates in both Houses”. Opposition parties have also demanded a debate on the economic situation.
Ahead of the winter session which commenced on Monday morning, the Opposition convened a meeting where the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that talks on seat-sharing, which were delayed by the assembly elections, start immediately. Another key ally, the SP, didn’t attend the meeting called by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Congress lost its governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and failed to dislodge the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Though the party won Telangana, its dismal head-to-head record against the BJP cast a long shadow on the grand old party’s ability to put up a credible fight against the BJP in the Hindi belt, and effectively relegated it to southern India
The insistence of the allies, including the TMC, against any disruptive tactics assumes significance as two recent sessions were washed out over media reports on the Adani Group and the Rafale deal — considered pet issues of the Congress.
Some allies, according to a leader present in the meeting on Monday, also suggested that the focus should remain on pro-people issues, and subjects such as India-China border row could wait.
“We should use every minute these 15 days (of the winter session). We have calculated that the time for discussions is between 2pm to 6pm, or four hours every day. We will get 16 hours a week for three weeks (as private members bills are slotted on Fridays). We will get 48 hours to debate in this session and we must put this to use. We can walk out in 10 minutes to oppose any bill or government decision. But we shouldn’t get hooked on to one issue to hijack the session,” said a senior non-Congress Opposition leader who was present in the meeting.
The non-Congress leaders also pointed out that after the last meeting of the INDIA bloc on September 1, no further meetings were organised except the coordination committee meeting on September 13. “We also said another INDIA meeting should be held soon. One party told the Congress to leave the assembly polls behind. There has to be some action, enough of words. Start the seat sharing talks,” said another leader, requesting anonymity.
The Congress had stalled seat-sharing talks in anticipation of a good performance in the assembly elections that could put it at an advantage in any negotiations, and had refused to have any informal arrangements in the three states. That strategy appeared to have backfired on Sunday.
In the evening, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of the strategy group, which briefly discussed the results but focused more on the upcoming bills and issues.
“The election result is definitely disappointing but we are not dejected. We are analysing the results. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge has called an informal meeting of INDIA allies. We are not only looking back but are also looking forward,” said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh added that the party will oppose the three proposed codes that are set to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Evidence Act. “We will raise unemployment and price rise in the debate on economy,” he said,
In the meeting, Ramesh added, the party decided to seek a debate on the challenges at the border and on the environment, including recent ordeal suffered by 41 workers in Uttarakhand who were trapped inside an under-construction tunnel for 17 days. “Some MPs also demanded debate on Manipur,” he said.
In Kolkata, Banerjee attributed the scale of the Congress’s loss to the lack of a seat-sharing pact.
“The BJP says it will win 35 (of 42) Lok Sabha seats in Bengal in 2024. Let them win five and show us. Arrogance leads to defeat. If seat-sharing among INDIA coalition partners is done properly then BJP stands no chance next year. The Congress made some mistakes. We have to learn from it and prepare ourselves,” she said in the legislative assembly.
Banerjee also hinted that she might not attend the December 6 meeting. “I have not received any letter or phone call till now. I am supposed to leave for north Bengal on the night of December 6 and stay in the region for four days. How can I change my programme?” she said.
In Varanasi, Yadav struck a more conciliatory tone on Monday, saying the bitterness that had erupted between the Congress and the SP during the campaign was over. “The result itself brought the ego to an end. The matter is concluded. I hope there will be a resolution in the coming time because it is crucial to safeguard democracy and the constitution for the country,” he said.
(With inputs from Kolkata and Lucknow)