‘There Goes INDI Alliance…’: BJP Questions Opposition Unity On Speaker Poll, Emergency Resolution

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attends the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, in New Delhi, on Wednesday. (PTI)

From support on the resolution on Emergency to the loss in Speaker’s election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) questioned the Opposition unity on the third day of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Amit Malviya, BJP leader, wrote on X: “Opposition unity is a myth…Several parties in the I.N.D.I Alliance supported the resolution on Emergency, while Congress tried to hide its face. There was also no unanimity in the Opposition over seeking a voice vote or division during Speaker’s election. Third Time Fail Rahul Gandhi fails on his first day as Leader of Opposition. Losing Speaker election was the crown.”

BJP’s Shehzad Poonawala even thanked the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for their role. He posted on X, “Wow so SP, DMK, TMC MPs moved away from Congress when it opposed the Resolution to condemn Emergency! There goes INDI alliance…”

While the ruling BJP is short of a simple majority, the Congress-led opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) got the post of leader of opposition after a decade.

CONGRESS’S UNILATERAL DECISION, TMC’S TURNAROUND

The first sign of lack of unity among the INDIA bloc emerged on Tuesday when the TMC — the third biggest opposition party— didn’t hide its displeasure on the Congress’s move to field a candidate for the Speaker’s election without consulting them. As news flowed in from the TMC camp, visuals of an engrossed Rahul Gandhi and TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee having an animated discussion on the floor of the house added substance to speculation.

Very soon, Banerjee cleared the air — the TMC isn’t happy about it. “We were not contacted about this; there was no discussion. Unfortunately, this is a unilateral decision,” said Banerjee to reporters outside Parliament.

However, the discussion between Banerjee and Gandhi followed by a discussion among TMC Parliamentary leaders ended the deadlock, and paved the way for the TMC to send its two senior leaders — Kalyan Banerjee and Derek O’Brien — to the meeting called by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday night.

SPEAKER’S ELECTION

On Wednesday, too, there was no unanimity among most Opposition parties on whether to go by voice vote or seek a division for the Speaker’s election. There were multiple voices within the opposition which led to confusion.

It is learnt that the INDIA bloc opted for a voice vote instead of pressing for seeking a division after the TMC conveyed it wanted a voice vote. The SP and DMK representatives felt the opposition must be seen to be together and hence it is important to go by what the TMC wants. However, Congress sources suggest they were prepared to seek a division of votes in the election where it fielded eight-term Congress MP K Suresh.

The Congress confirmed that it did not seek division, but attributed the reason to be different. “I am telling you formally, we didn’t ask for division of votes…We didn’t ask for it because we found it appropriate that there be a consensus on the first day, that there be an atmosphere of consensus on the first day. This was a constructive step from our end. We could have asked for division (of votes),” said Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh.

RESOLUTION ON EMERGENCY

The SP and TMC, meanwhile, supported the resolution against the Emergency — much to the dismay of the Congress and the delight of the BJP.

Not only did Speaker Om Birla bring a resolution on the Emergency — a sensitive topic for the Congress at a time when its leaders are flashing copies of the Constitution of India — but the House observed a two-minute silence recalling the ‘dark days’ of the Emergency.

“June 25, 1975, will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India. On this day, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country and attacked the Constitution made by Babasaheb Ambedkar,” Birla said.

This evoked objections from Congress MPs, but the others kept quiet. But many MPs from the Treasury Bench countered them with “Shame! Shame!” slogans.

All in all, the beginning didn’t seem glorious for the opposition even in a resized third term.