On the first day of Parliament following the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the party found an ally in the Trinamool Congress whilst potentially losing its partner in the erstwhile Maharashtra Govt, Shiv Sena. TMC so far has stayed away from all joint Opposition events. Further, Mr Gandhi’s “denigrating” comments on Savarkar potentially pulled away their erstwhile partner from Maharashtra.
Trinamool Congress participated in the daily strategy meeting hosted by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, followed by the opposition march from Gandhi Statue in Parliament to Vijay Chowk. Further, their MPs Prasun Banerjee (Lok Sabha MP from Howrah, West Bengal) and Jawhar Sircar (Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal) also attended the evening meeting called again by the incumbent Congress President. It also had in attendance members from 18 other opposition parties who had resolved in “one voice” to continue their campaign against the Modi Government for “destroying democracy and subverting institutions”.
“This resolve will be reflected in joint actions outside Parliament beginning NOW,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
The Trinamool Congress’s alignment with opposition parties brought in an element of surprise. Explaining the move, its Parliamentary Party leader in the Upper House, said, “The BJP has crossed the line. Democracy, Parliament, federalism and the Constitution have to be saved. The Opposition is united in this cause. However, the party has maintained that the Congress cannot maintain double standards, that is, expecting collaboration in Delhi but making personal attacks against the Trinamool leadership in the State.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi attended the morning strategy meeting but did not have a representative for the Opposition march or for the dinner. Party President Uddhav Thackeray, while addressing a rally at Malegaon (Maharashtra) on Sunday, categorically warned Mr Gandhi not to insult Savarkar who is like a “God-like figure” and not to make statements that create fissures.
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