Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to replace Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as leader of the party in Lok Sabha, in what is being seen as an attempt to build better ties with the Trinamool Congress and fortify the Opposition against the BJP ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, reported The Indian Express.
The Congress had fought the Bengal polls in alliance with the Left and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) but had largely refrained from mounting attacks on TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. However, Chowdhury, the Lok Sabha MP from Baharampur and the face of the party's campaign in the state, has publicly hit out at Banerjee time and again and had criticized her government.
For instance, when the TMC chief was injured while on the campaign trail in Nandigram, Chowdhury accused her of resorting to 'siyasi pakhand' (political hypocrisy) and 'nautanki' (theatrics) to draw public sympathy. The Congress had denounced the 'attack' on the chief minister and distanced itself from the remarks of its West Bengal unit chief.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Chowdhury had also accused the TMC government of not aiding those in need after the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan in May 2020.
Moreover, in an interview with news agency PTI, the West Bengal Congress chief had ruled out any possibility of extending support to receiving support from the TMC in case of a fractured mandate. He had termed Banerjee the "biggest and most-trusted ally" of RSS-BJP, and accused both the parties of taking West Bengal's political discourse to an "all-time low" through a "vitriolic and communal" campaign.
The TMC registered a massive victory in the election, winning 213 of the 292 seats. While the Congress and the CPM drew a blank, the ISF managed to get one seat.
The Congress had welcomed Banerjee's victory and even supported the chief minister in her post-Assembly election verdict battle with the BJP. As noted by The Wire, Chowdhury too softened his stance towards the TMC after the poll results and stepped up his attack on the BJP. Last month, he also wrote a letter to the UPA chairperson stating that he didn’t want to field any candidate against Banerjee in Bhawanipur by-polls.
A Hindustan Times report lists a few other reasons which may lead to Chowdhury being replaced. In the current Lok Sabha, the TMC has skipped meetings called by the Congress and vice versa, on several occasions. During the two years that Chowdhury has been the Congress leader in the Lower House, he is accused of not holding any meeting of the Opposition parties involving the Trinamool, says the report.
Also, Chowdhury never turned up to meet Banerjee, a five-time former MP, when she would come to Parliament, the report claims and adds that this was seen as a sign of personal rivalry by TMC leaders.
According to The Indian Express report, Chowdhury's removal may be an attempt to ensure smooth floor coordination with the TMC in the Parliament. Sources told the newspaper that the Banerjee-led party is preparing to take its battle with West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar to the Parliament in a big way and that it could reach out to the Congress and other opposition parties to approach the President demanding the recall of the Governor.
Dhankar has been at odds with the TMC government in the state. The ruling party in West Bengal has levelled various allegations against the governor and accused him of working in a partisan manner.
Chowdhury is also the chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee in the Parliament.
According to the report, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari are among the frontrunners to replace Chowdhury. Both Tharoor and Tewari were signatories to the letter to Sonia Gandhi, which called for sweeping organisational changes in the party while Chowdhury has been critical of the G-23 group and stood by the leadership. It is not clear whether former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be keen to take on the role in the Lok Sabha, the report notes.
The Monsoon session of Parliament is likely to be held from 19 July to 13 August.
With inputs from PTI
July 04, 2021 at 04:16PM
No comments:
Post a Comment