CHIDAMBARAM, SIBAL WILL ADD MUSCLE TO CONGRESS CAMP IN THE UPPER HOUSE

NEW DELHI: When Parliament opens on Monday for the monsoon session, the Congress will return to the Rajya Sabha with a reduced flock but the fall in numbers will be more than made up by the firepower it will wield.

In the latest round of polls in which 58 Rajya Sabha seats were voted for, the Congress lost four to the rivals but continues to be the biggest party in the Upper House with 60 MPs. The ruling BJP has 54 members.

But, the entry of former finance minister P Chidambaram and former law minister Kapil Sibal, both practising lawyers, will certainly add muscle to the Congress camp.

The opposition party has taken on the ruling combine on various issues, including the goods and services tax rollout legislation.

Chidambaram and Sibal’s legal as well as administrative experience will come in handy while negotiating the finer points of the bill that aims to bring in a nationwide tax on goods and services.

The entry of Chidambaram and Sibal comes at a time when the BJP has decided to up the ante against the Congress even though it needs the opposition party’s support to pass crucial bills.

During the budget session, its newly minted member Subramanian Swamy relentlessly targeted the Congress over scandals such as Agusta Westland scam.

While the Congress can rely on the oratory skills of Chidambaram and Sibal, the BJP is expected to get support from media baron Subhas Chandra, another new entrant.

With the help of the BJP, Chandra upset the Congress calculations in Haryana, bagging one of the two seats that were up for grabs in the northern state.

The Congress has also brought in another ace lawyer, Pradeep Tamta, a leader from the hill state of Uttarakhand. Armed with their combined legal experience, the party may be in a better position to handle complex legislative negotiations expected to dominate the monsoon session.

Beni Prasad Verma, the former Congress minister, is also in the Rajya Sabha, this time as a Samajwadi Party member. The veteran politician is likely to play a key role with Uttar Pradesh due for elections early next year.

The SP has also brought back Amar Singh after a rather prolonged patchup with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. Singh, known to have friends across political spectrum, can be useful in handling a crisis situation.

CHIDAMBARAM AND SIBAL’S LEGAL AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE WILL COME IN HANDY WHILE NEGOTIATING THE FINER POINTS OF THE GOODS AND SERVICES TAX