Stormy monsoon session: PM Modi may speak on Lalitgate, Vyapam; but won't give in to Congress

After the all party meeting concluded on Monday, Parliamentary Affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu declared,  “If the monsoon session is going to be a washout then what did we all discuss for two hours?” He was clearly putting up a brave front and being optimistic about the three-week-long session, which begins from Tuesday. But that’s part of his job, to look at things from the government’s perspective and keep trying to ensure that Parliament functions normally and at most times keep hoping against hope.  Naidu knows the likelihood of stormy days in Parliament in the upcoming session and is gearing up for them. “The Congress wants to raise some state related issues (Vasundhara Raje links with Lalit Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s alleged complicity in Vyapam scam). If the opposition wants to raise them, and the Chair allows that, we have no problem in discussing,” he said. [caption id=“attachment_2353826” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Modi and Rajnath Singh on Monday. PTI[/caption] But he then indicated that if it happens then the BJP would launch a counter offensive against the Congress over allegations of bribery involving US firm Louis Berger and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and former Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat, among others. The revelations made by the firm before American authorities have come at an opportune time for the BJP, allowing it to also point fingers at the Congress and settle scores in a potential parliamentary logjam situation. The Congress continues to insist that Chouhan, Raje and Swaraj need to be removed, something the BJP has been dismissive about right from the start. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, reiterated the party’s demand for the resignation of the three leaders. “The government had promised transparency but it is responsible for what is taking place presently. Before the session of Parliament they should take the resignations of those involved in Lalitgate and Vyapam scam,” Azad said. Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav was more candid.“At this type of meeting (the all party meeting chaired by the PM) everyone only says that the house should function. But I don’t think it will run smoothly. Mausam abhi se kharab lag raha hai (the climate is still stormy)”. The BJP’s resolve to brazen it out has been further strengthened after the Prime Minister and party chief Amit Shah held a series of meetings on Sunday. Though they met separately with senior ministers and leaders, the purpose was the same: prepare an effective counter attack. The party leadership is aware that Congress’s real target is Modi – if he does what the Congress is demanding then he will be next in their line of fire. Chouhan and Raje have strong mass support in their states and both had delivered in the assembly and parliamentary elections. Their exit will have a destructive spiralling effect for Modi and the party. While at the all party meet Modi talked at length about officially listed business, including an appeal to pass land acquisition bill, he had given a clear indication of his line of thinking three days earlier in Jammu. Speaking there he took a dig at Gandhi-Nehru family by referring to Robert Vadra, albeit without naming him. On Monday while inaugurating at 46th Indian Labour Conference he made a veiled attack at Rahul Gandhi, saying that since he had experienced poverty first hand he does not need to visit house of a labourer with TV cameras in tow to understand the problems of the poor. Rahul Gandhi on his part has laid Congress’s strategy bare by making a personal attack at the Prime Minister and claiming that the party they would reduce his chest from 56-inches to 5.6 inch. The Congress vice president has indicated that he and his party would make a no-holds barred attack on Modi and the government. The BJP is not particularly keen to negotiate with the Congress for the smooth functioning of the monsoon session. The Congress had earlier boycotted the chief ministers meet held by PM at Niti Aayog on the land acquisition bill and declared it would not allow Parliament to pass the bill. On GST as well, the Congress has opposed it it after initially supporting it. It could be the reason why Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu didn’t go to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s residence to seek her support like he did before the budget session. The Congress’s belligerence has also had an interesting fallout – the BJP leadership is making conscious attempts to take its NDA allies into confidence and Modi hosted the first meeting of alliance partners at 7 RCR to make a collective strategy for the monsoon session.  Some of the NDA allies, Shiv Sena and Akali Dal in particular, had complained in the past that there was no coordination among the allies and had suggested it was time the BJP leadership took an initiative. There were surely pleased with this development. It would be interesting to see whether the Prime Minister breaks his silence on the Lalit Modi controversy and Vyapam. BJP leaders are hinting that he could speak, but it would depend on his assessment of opposition’s attitude and the demands made on floor of the House.