Before taking call on RS deputy chair, Congress waits for Opposition’s pick
NEW DELHI: The Congress, the CPI(M) and the Trinamool Congress continued to make the right noises about putting up a consensus candidate of the Opposition for the post of the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, but a decision hasn’t been taken yet and the ongoing discussions between various constituents of the federal-front-inthe-making show the dynamics that will have to be managed for the creation of a united front to take on the National Democratic Alliance.
According to leaders from the three parties familiar with the matter and who spoke on condition of anonymity, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday lobbied with her Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala counterparts to pick a candidate from the non-Congress bench for the post.
While AP’s N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party and Karnataka’s HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) have more or less agreed to explore the possibilities, the CPI(M)’s Pinarayi Vijayan told Banerjee that his party will take the final decision, the leaders said.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday that the post “ideally” should go to the Congress as it is the largest Opposition force with no other party anywhere near it in terms of numbers in the Rajya Sabha.
It is also likely that the Janata Dal (Secular), which governs Karnataka in partnership with the Congress, will consult the latter.
The Congress itself seemed to suggest that it wouldn’t insist on a candidate from its ranks. A Congress strategist claimed that its support for a non-Congress candidate would depend on several factors.
“We have to see who the candidate is. The post of the deputy chairman in Rajya Sabha is extremely important and we can’t give blind support to any name from any party,” this person added, asking not to be identified.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “As a matter of rule and tradition, the deputy chairman’s post always goes to the largest Opposition party. as of now, there is nothing to suggest that there will be a deviation from that rule. No decision has been taken yet.”
The party also wants to ensure that the new chairman is not someone detrimental to the interests of the party.
The TMC has floated the name of its MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray as the candidate for the election. It is also open to garnering support for a Biju Janata Dal candidate if Naveen Patnaik’s party shows interest to join the federal front ranks.
The CPI(M), however, maintained that support for Patnaik’s party can come only if the Congress agrees to it.
The BJD, which has so far held its counsel, holds the key in the poll with nine MPs in the Upper House. “If the BJD supports the Opposition, we can breach the majority mark of 122,” added the Congress strategist.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 105 MPs in the Rajya Sabha and another six independents and other members are expected to support it. Even if the NDA secures the votes of the TRS and the YSRCP, the BJD alone can swing the vote in favour of the Opposition.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel met Banerjee for half an hour on Sunday and the two reportedly discussed issues related to national politics and the 2019 elections.
Yechury said, “We will definitely try to build a consensus as we don’t want the NDA to get that post. But the consensus building process can’t be dictated by others and we will not support a Trinamool Congress candidate. ”