Opposition bloc may pull out from panel to aid pro tem Speaker

NEW DELHI: In continued aggression from the opposition that signals turbulence in the new Parliament, the anti-BJP bloc INDIA is likely to pull out its three members from the panel to assist the pro tem Speaker in protest against the govt “superseding” seniormost member in Lok Sabha K Suresh of Congress for the ceremonial post, which administers oath to the new MPs.Bhartruhari Mahtab of BJP has been named the pro tem Speaker.
The new irritant in opposition-govt relationship came Saturday even as Congress demanded Modi regime put the three criminal laws on hold and undertake detailed discussions in Parliamentary committee and the two Houses to iron out their flaws.
The three laws are up for implementation from July 1, and DMK and TMC have already asked the govt to defer them.
AICC spokesman Jairam Ramesh said Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, were “bulldozed” through Parliament when 146 MPs had been suspended from LS and RS. He said they were “bulldozed” through the standing committee on home affairs without detailed interactions with stakeholders across the country and by ignoring dissent notes of MPs.
With NEET/paper leaks and law on MSP already emerging as flashpoints ahead of Parliament session, opposition’s belligerence on criminal laws and on pro tem
Speaker makes the mix a recipe for confrontation. Congress has alleged that Suresh, a Dalit member, has been ignored for pro tem Speaker’s post “for reasons other than merit”, and a boycott of the ceremonial functions by Suresh (Congress), Sudip Bandopadhyay (TMC), T R Baalu (DMK) will kick off the new LS on a sour note Monday. All indications are that the bitterness of the 17th LS is spilling over into the new one.
While the pro tem post is only ceremonial, growing protest across parties against the three laws just ahead of their coming into force suggests a concerted action by INDIA constituents to force govt’s hand. The Modi regime passed the laws despite opposition protests last year, but the renewed aggression of the anti-BJP bloc appears a signal to Modi govt that it cannot ignore the rivals after their improved numbers post-poll.