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Today, once again the tussle between the ruling party and the opposition came out in the open in the political streets of Delhi. After the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned indefinitely, Prime Minister Narendra Modi organized a ‘tea meeting’ for the members of Parliament, but no opposition leader attended it. The opposition parties completely boycotted this meeting. This incident is not just a boycott, but a direct reflection of the long political deadlock that went on during the monsoon session.
PM Modi’s ‘chhik par chai’
Even in the absence of the opposition, PM Modi described the session as ‘good’ and expressed satisfaction over the passage of many important bills. Describing the Online Games Bill as having far-reaching effects, he said that this should have been discussed the most. But the real spice of ‘chai par charcha’ came to the fore when PM Modi targeted the opposition, especially the Congress. He said that there are many young and talented leaders in the Congress, but due to the insecurity of the Gandhi family, they do not get a chance to speak. PM Modi further said that it is possible that these young leaders are making Rahul Gandhi feel insecure and nervous.
‘Deadlock’ became the main issue in the House
This statement of PM Modi has raised a big question on the strategy of the opposition. During the monsoon session, 120 hours were fixed for discussion in the Lok Sabha, but due to uproar and deadlock, only 37 hours of discussion could be held. This means that 83 hours were lost to the deadlock. During this period, a total of 14 bills were introduced, out of which 12 were passed without any special discussion. This shows that the opposition gave priority to disruption instead of meaningful debate. Taking a dig at this, PM Modi said that the opposition could have participated in the discussion on big bills, but they were only engaged in disruption.
Reason for boycott, politics or compulsion?
The opposition’s boycott of the tea meeting is not surprising. It was in line with their previous statements and behavior inside the House. However, PM Modi’s comment on the internal discord of the Congress and the talent of young leaders is being considered a strategic move. This directly raises questions on the leadership of the Congress and its internal unity. It will be interesting to see how the opposition, especially the Congress, responds to this allegation and whether this ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ becomes a big issue in the upcoming elections.
