Budget Session: From Adani, Congress needle moves to stampede, signals more coordination with others in Opposition

In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge paid tribute to the “thousands” who helium said had died successful the January 29 stampede. This provoked the Treasury benches, who accused the Congress of doing authorities connected the Kumbh deaths.

While Congress sources said the enactment often raised issues that were “important successful nature” and of interest to the communal people, galore successful the Opposition bloc said they were relieved the expansive aged enactment was yet successful tune with the sentiments of the larger Opposition and not sticking to the issues it unsocial felt were crucial. “It’s not that we often rise the Adani issue. We person raised the contented lone erstwhile determination was a revelation of immoderate irregularity,” said a elder Congress leader.

Meeting for the archetypal clip aft the President’s code to the associated sitting and presumption of the Union Budget, some Houses witnessed chaotic scenes arsenic the Opposition vociferously demanded a treatment connected the Kumbh stampede and staged a walk-out, alleging the fig of dormant could beryllium much than the 30 announced by the UP government. In some the Houses, the Congress took the lead.

Sources successful the Opposition said Congress level managers had reached retired to immoderate of the parties urging them to springiness notices seeking a treatment connected the Kumbh issue.

In Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari and Digvijaya Singh (Congress), Sagarika Ghose (TMC), Javed Ali and Ramji Lal Suman (Samajwadi Party), and John Brittas (CPI) had fixed notices demanding a treatment connected the stampede.

The Lok Sabha saw Opposition members, including those from Congress, SP and DMK, storming the Well of the House and engaging successful sloganeering demanding a discussion. And the slogans stood retired arsenic they accused the BJP of being “anti-Hindu”, a complaint the BJP has often hurled astatine the Opposition. From “Marne walon ki soochi jaari karo (release the details of those dead)” and “Tanashahi nahi chalegi (Down with dictatorship)”, the slogans turned to “Sanatan virodhi Modi sarkar, Down Down, Down Down”, and “Dharm ka dhandha set karo (Stop utilizing religion for business)”.

Interestingly, members of the TMC, a constituent of the INDIA bloc, did not travel to the Well of the House successful the Lok Sabha adjacent though immoderate of its members similar Saugat Roy and Kalyan Bannerji stood up astatine their seats successful solidarity with the Congress. TMC MP Kirti Azad adjacent participated successful the Question Hour.

Participating successful the Debate connected the President’s code successful the afternoon, galore Opposition members spoke astir the stampede, accusing the authorities of negligence and insensitivity and calling for accountability.

“These radical trusted the Union and authorities governments, hoping they would beryllium protected, but unfortunately, nary 1 protected them,” DMK MP Kanimozhi said. She alleged the government’s attack to governance had led to societal divisions. “When religion and authorities merge, it is the guiltless who suffer. We don’t adjacent cognize the nonstop fig of radical who died successful the stampede,” she said.

Samajwadi Party MP Naresh Chandra Uttam Patel besides lashed retired astatine the UP government’s handling of the Kumbh event. “The Kumbh Mela was not struck by a earthy disaster; it was a glaring illustration of the government’s failure,” helium said, asking wherefore the authorities had not yet released a database of the deceased.

TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar condemned the government’s effect to the Kumbh tragedy, criticising the brevity of the President’s notation of the incident. “It is bittersweet to accidental that the President lone spent 61 words connected this tragedy. She has neither condemned the deaths nor sent condolence messages to the families of the deceased,” she said.

“There is simply a wide discrepancy betwixt the fig of dormant bodies successful the morgue and the fig of radical reported missing. The aforesaid happening happened during Covid times,” she added.