New Delhi, Oct 11, 2024
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from New Delhi constituency Bansuri Swaraj, in response to a journalist’s question about the possibility of the Leader of Opposition post in the Lok Sabha becoming rotational, said, “Yes, I have also heard this. If the opposition feels that Rahul Gandhi is unable to handle the post of Leader of Opposition and they want to bring about a change in this way, then it is their internal matter.”
She added that this is primarily the opposition’s concern and that she has also heard of the idea of making the post rotational.
Her statement triggered a debate with Samajwadi Party spokesperson Manoj Yadav questioning her authority to comment on whether the post should be made rotational.
“How can the BJP judge whether Rahul ji is performing his role properly? How often does the Prime Minister himself sit in the House? The primary duty of the Leader of the House is to listen to all voices. Sushma Swaraj wanted to be Prime Minister, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps Bansuri believes that by attacking Rahul Gandhi, she can raise her profile and eventually aim for the Prime Minister’s post,” Manoj Yadav told IANS
The statement made by the BJP MP points directly to the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections.
Following Congress’ defeat in Haryana, several leaders from the opposition alliance INDIA bloc were seen either advising Congress or calling for a review of its loss.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders criticised Congress and Rahul Gandhi, stating that if the opposition had contested the elections together by properly dividing the seats, the outcome in Haryana might have been different.
Additionally, AAP announced its decision to contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections independently, confirming it will not be part of any alliance in Delhi.
On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT), a Congress ally in Maharashtra, also urged Congress to review its defeat. In its mouthpiece Saamana, the party stated that Congress needs to learn from the Haryana election results, saying that Congress has a tendency to turn victory into defeat.
CPI leader D. Raja also criticised Congress after the results, noting that the INDIA bloc did not contest the Haryana elections together, which gave the BJP an edge. He emphasised that Congress needs to reflect seriously on its approach.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party, which had been sidelined by Congress in Haryana, swiftly announced six candidates for the upcoming bypolls on 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, immediately after the Haryana election results were declared.
According to sources, some of these seats were those that Congress had been eyeing for itself. However, Akhilesh Yadav later clarified that the SP-Congress alliance would continue in UP, but how this will play out under the current circumstances remains uncertain.
In fact, the Majhawan seat, which the state president of Congress Ajay Rai was seeking for his son, Shantanu Rai, along with the Phulpur Sadar seat, which Congress was also claiming, were both announced as candidates by the Samajwadi Party, effectively closing the door for Congress to contest these seats.
Additionally, Congress aimed to contest a total of five seats, but SP pre-emptively announced six candidates, catching Congress off guard. Of the remaining four seats, one is already held by SP, while two are associated with the Rashtriya Lok Dal. SP could potentially leave the Kundarki, Ghaziabad, and Khair seats in Aligarh for Congress.
Meanwhile, SP is also preparing to contest the Meerapur seat in Muzaffarnagar, which was allocated to RLD following their alliance.
Bansuri Swaraj’s remarks about the rotational LoP are being seen in the broader context of tensions within the opposition alliance and could potentially impact future political alignments.(Agency)
