Angry Rahul trumps fiery Sumitra: Suspended MPs a boon for Congress' boycott strategy

Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday suspended 25 Congress MPs for five days saying that they were guilty of ‘grave disorder’ and Congress President Sonia Gandhi was quick to call it a ‘black day for democracy’. But the real winner of the ongoing parliamentary logjam may end up being Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who despite restricting his role to thumping a desk in the Lok Sabha over the past few days, now gets to lead a united opposition against the Modi government. On Tuesday, Rahul attacked the government saying that the party had no intention of entering the Lok Sabha and would instead take its fight to the streets. “What the Modi government did with Congress MPs is being done across country with students, on internet, with farmers,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_2377958” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] PTI image[/caption] He also said that it wasn’t just the Congress demanding the resignation of three BJP leaders, it was the entire country. The reaction to the suspension of the MPs on Monday was immediate. In the Lok Sabha itself, the Left and CPM pleaded on behalf of the suspended Congress MPs but the day’s proceedings were adjourned, there was a near complete unification of all opposition parties against the Speaker’s decision. As this Telegraph report pointed out, MPs from the Trinamool Congress, the Left, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United) were among those who were present at the meeting with the Congress president. While most of the parties have promised to join the Congress in its boycott of the Lok Sabha proceedings, others like the Trinamool Congress have said that they will remain present in Lok Sabha. The credit for now for becoming the wronged from the wrongdoer is being given to the normally absent Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. A Times of India report says that he’s been at the forefront of ensuring Congress MPs create chaos in Parliament and blocking every bill in its tracks in both Houses as it continues to seek the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Even mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been seen in Parliament urging the party’s MPs on in their protest. The Congress Vice President is reportedly responsible for the strategy in which the party has decided to block the BJP much like they had done when the UPA was in power, and the Congress has shown its willingness to stick with the strategy despite no real support from other parties in the Lok Sabha over the issue. Congress MPs, Shashi Tharoor comes to mind, have had their doubts over the strategy, but with the backing of the party’s MPs who are close to him, Rahul has stuck by the strategy of obstructionism. But even as it seemed like the party had stretched the limits of such a stand, the Speaker suspended 25 MPs, reducing the Congress strength in the Lok Sabha to less than regional parties like the Trinamool Congress, AIADMK and BJD. Though reduced in strength in the lower house, the suspension came even as the BJP appeared to be breaking the ranks of the opposition over various legislation. It even bent on legislation like the Land Bill where it has incorporated suggestions from the Congress. The Samajwadi Party is a case in point of a opposition party that looked like it was changing sides. The party had seemed like it could come around on the Land Bill but it now has to evaluate whether it should back it in this session given the protests over the suspension of the Congress MPs will now continue until the sessions ends on 13 August. The party has shown no interest in seeking the dismissal of the three BJP leaders, and it hasn’t shown any interest in backing the Congress in the past. However, it would not want to be seen as backing the BJP ahead of looming state elections next year and it might explain why the party’s MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha today. So what can be expected now? Lok Sabha may function in the absence of the Congress and smaller opposition parties. But in the Rajya Sabha, where the Congress still has a majority, one can expect complete chaos. Though the BJP has acceded to the Congress demands on the Land Bill, it would be overly optimistic for the party to expect any work to be done in the Upper House of Parliament. As for Rahul Gandhi, nothing works in politics quite like being the wronged underdog. The suspension of 25 MPs may not have been part of his strategy, but the Congress Vice President gets to walk away with all the credit for bringing all Modi’s critics under one roof and even leading the charge.