New Delhi, June 24 2024-
Two members of the Upper House heading different political camps got leading roles in the Rajya Sabha with BJP President J.P. Nadda being named the Leader of the House, and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also leading the Opposition in the Upper House — in a coincidence that’s one of the firsts in recent times.
This ‘coincidence’, however, would not last long as the term of J.P. Nadda, also the Union Health Minister, as BJP President will end this month.
According to sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get a new chief this time. If that happens, J.P. Nadda will just be the Leader of the Upper House but not the President of his party.
In the first-ever Parliamentary session after the formation of the Modi 3.0 government, J.P. Nadda, as the President of the BJP, is also expected to tackle the opposition’s onslaught that would be led by his Congress counterpart Kharge.
In the capacity of party President, J.P. Nadda will also list and present the achievements of the government in the House in the presence of the Opposition.
The Congress, meanwhile, has congratulated J.P. Nadda on being named the Rajya Sabha leader.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X: “Congratulations to J.P. Nadda on being nominated as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. As Venkaiah Naidu (former Vice President and the ex-Chairman of the Upper House) said – if the leaders of the House can accommodate, the opposition can cooperate.”
J.P. Nadda has replaced his party colleague and Union Minister Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha as the leader of the House.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Piyush Goyal emerged victorious from the Mumbai North Parliamentary constituency.
While J.P. Nadda’s term as BJP President will end on June 30, the proceedings in Rajya Sabha begin three days earlier — on June 27. (Agency)
