New Delhi: With the Union Budget over, the Opposition parties are now gearing up to corner the government in Parliament over the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act across the country. These parties, including the Congress and the Trinamul Congress, have given notices to move adjournment motions in both Houses for a discussion on the issue.
Not to be outdone, the ruling BJP is also ready for a confrontation and has fielded West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma, who was recently barred from campaigning by the Election Commission for his communally divisive remarks, to move the motion of thanks to the President’s address.
Sources in the Congress said former party chief Rahul Gandhi has been requested to open the debate on the President’s address from the Opposition, but if he does not it would be the Congress’ Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary.
Congress chief whip K. Suresh and Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi will, meanwhile, move adjournment motions in the Lok Sabha to immediately discuss the anti-CAA protests.
Sources said that if Speaker Om Birla does not allow the motions to be taken up, the party will disrupt Question Hour. The party will also demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the anti-CAA protests while replying to the motion of thanks, failing which they would stage a walkout, the sources added.
In the Rajya Sabha, the Trinamul Congress has given notice under Rule 267 for suspension of rules to discuss the “raging anti CAA-NRC-NPR people’s movement in India”. Also, for the first time the since the party was formed in 1992, the TMC will move amendments to the President’s motion of thanks address.
Sources said TMC parliamentary party leader Derek O’Brien and chief whip Sukhendu Shekhar Roy have moved six amendments in the Upper House and thus amendments would be moved in the Lower House too.
While Saugata Roy and Mahua Moitra would speak from the TMC on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, in the Rajya Sabha it would be Sukhendu Shekhar Roy.
The CPI(M) too has moved amendments to the motion of thanks in both Houses.
