Budget Session: Govt in dock over Adani row; eyes on back channel for Prez speech debate

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, February 3: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party by now seemingly has the resilience to the Opposition ruckus in Parliament. But the timing of the Adani row may squeeze the escape route for the Modi government in Parliament.

The two days of both the Houses of Parliament were washed off with no businesses taken up. While the Opposition has sought an early adjournment of the first half of the Budget session, the government may not be obliging now. Debate on President Speech to the joint session of Parliament is key to the BJP’s bid to build the narrative for the Assembly elections in nine states and the Lok Sabha polls next year.

“The government has not yet reached out to the Opposition to break the impasse over the Adani row. The Opposition is not willing to let go the rare issue which has come on their way at a crucial stage. There may be an outreach on the part of the government to buy peace with a tradeoff on Monday to ensure that both the Houses of Parliament take up debate on President’s address,” said a senior BJP functionary.

While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected the charge that the public sector banks are overly exposed to the beleaguered Adani Group, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhand Joshi said that the Opposition is without any issue. Congress, buoyant after the conclusion of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, is bracing for actions outside Parliament to build the organization for elections. Also, Congress is making a case that the party has to be at the centre stage of any idea of the Opposition unity and the non-BJP alternative at the Centre. This was evident from the presence of the Congress averse outfits such as the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party with leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjuna Kharge, who is leading the charge on the Adani row.

But the BJP leaders are also adamant that the government may not be yielding too much to the Opposition and the presiding officers may force taking up the debate on President’s speech even in the absence of the protesting MPs. “There are already precedents of the unruly MPs being thrown out of the two Houses of Parliament. That possibility is not ruled out,” added the BJP functionary.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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