BackDissidence queers opposition’s pitch on Article 370
On Monday, even as Rajya Sabha proceedings were on, Congress’ chief whip Bhubaneshwar Kalita resignedThe TMC had staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha on Monday during the voting on the accompanying legislations
PremiumA series of dissidence in Rajya Sabha, not just from opposition parties but also individual leaders, has queered opposition’s pitch against revoking Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Despite strong protests from opposition benches, the Rajya Sabha approved the resolution revoking Article 370 and passed another bill to split the state into two Union Territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
On Monday, even as Rajya Sabha proceedings were on, Congress’ chief whip Bhubaneshwar Kalita resigned as a lawmaker and member of the party while opposing its stand on the issue. “The ideology of Congress today looks like it is committing suicide and I do not want to be a part of it. I do not want to accept this whip and I am resigning from the Congress party," he said in an unsigned statement referring to the whip to ensure party lawmakers attend Rajya Sabha during the discussion on Article 370.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, chief whip of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Rajya Sabha, put out a tweet on Monday night indicating that the time for change has arrived and political parties must rise to the occasion. “Decades old Comedy of Errors are being rectified now. It was a thunderbolt today. Many more in the offing? Change is the wheel of our national life. We are mortals. But the nation is not. We must not sing Yesterday Once More. Let it be today and tomorrow," Roy tweeted.
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The statement of Roy could be particularly damning for the TMC of which he is a senior leader and has been a strong voice not just in Parliament but also in West Bengal against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The TMC had staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha on Monday during the voting on the accompanying legislations.
On Tuesday too, there were voices of dissent within the opposition. Congress senior leader and former union minister Ashwani Kumar said the move to revoke Article 370 was a ‘daring resolve’ in line with mood of the nation. “Abrogation of special status for J&K:Consistent with the overwhelming mood of the nation . A demonstration of daring resolve though history alone will attest to its wisdom," Kumar tweeted.
The resolution and accompanying legislation were taken up for discussion in Lok Sabha on Tuesday and while the union government will sail through the legislation on the back of a brute majority, the opposition is hopeful that it will present a united face. In Rajya Sabha, the opposition remained divided with parties like Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and TMC staging a walkout. Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party, YSR Congress Party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, and the Biju Janata Dal supported the government on the issue.
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