MVA protests for third day:

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies continued their agitation for the third day in different parts of Maharashtra with an aggressive state Congress hitting the streets today to protest the detention of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and other Congress leaders yesterday, here on Wednesday. State and city Youth Congress again carried out vociferous protests near Mantralaya raising slogans, carrying banners and placards slamming the...

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Mumbai: The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies continued their agitation for the third day in different parts of Maharashtra with an aggressive state Congress hitting the streets today to protest the detention of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and other Congress leaders yesterday, here on Wednesday. State and city Youth Congress again carried out vociferous protests near Mantralaya raising slogans, carrying banners and placards slamming the state and central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and when some attempted to enter inside, they were prevented by a strong posse of Mumbai Police deployed there since Monday. As tensions appeared to escalate, the police clamped down by detaining top state and city Youth Congress leaders including President Harshwardhan Sapkal, Vijay Wadettiwar, Bhai Jagtap, Hussain Dalwai, and many others. Thousands of students carried out a fresh demonstration at Dadar west Shivaji Park to vent their ire at the police action on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s agitation in New Delhi on Monday. Several MVA leaders and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray visited or expressed solidarity with the protesting youth, comprising many women. Opposition’s Voice The Congress leaders alleged that Rahul Gandhi was targeted by the BJP-led government to muzzle democratic dissent, suppress the Opposition voices inside and outside Parliament and trampling upon the peoples' Constitutional Rights to protest peacefully. Defying pouring rains in the city on Wednesday, Congress workers along with activists of MVA allies, staged a noisy demonstration in Chembur and another group attempted to storm the BJP office in south Mumbai, condemning the assault on students in New Delhi and the detention of the Gandhi siblings. Senior Congress leader Hussain Dalwai flayed the government for “misusing the police” to gag democratic rights and the protests were intended to defend the Constitution and democracy against the BJP’s policy of intolerance of dissent in any form. “This is gross injustice. We are not allowed to protest against the government failures as they are misusing the police. The PM is scared of taking the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as he could be the next. We want to highlight to the BJP to govern the country as per the Constitution,” Dalwai declared, interacting with the media at Nariman Point. As the BJP also threatened to launch counter-protests, the police cordoned off and deployed a precautionary security ring around Tilak Bhavan, the state Congress headquarters, as leaders from both sides exchanged political darts and looked aggressive enough for a confrontation. MVA ‘bandh’, ‘Tricolour’ march today The state is set for another two days of political turmoil as the MVA has announced a Maharashtra shutdown (‘bandh’) on Thursday followed by a non-partisan ‘Tricolour Peace March’ on Friday. MVA allies, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, besides other leaders of the alliance, informed of the state and city level actions today. Ambedkar appealed to the masses and also the BJP youth to participate wholeheartedly in the bandh tomorrow and claimed that students’ bodies, parent-teachers associations, colleges, universities, other institutes of higher education, private coaching institutions, and other governmental departments could support the shutdown, as it has now become a national issue. Aaditya sought the peoples’ participation in the ‘Tricolour Peace March’ on the theme of “One Nation, One Emotion” planned on July 24 afternoon to Shivaji Park, in support of environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, the Cockroach Janta Party, plus the youth and students protesting in New Delhi. Terming it as a national citizens’ movement rather than a political party, he called upon the people not to carry any party flags but unite under the National Tricolour to assert democratic rights and express resentment against the government’s high-handed policies. Meanwhile, Mumbai Police have already imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 across the city from July 23-to- August 6, apprehending the possibility of law-and-order disturbances.

TMC’s split boosts BJP’s push for key reforms

Akhilesh Sinha
Jun 9
3 min read

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with her nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, is facing a series of political setbacks, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to consolidate its position both in West Bengal and at the national level. The BJP is working to strengthen the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in both Houses of Parliament before the 2027 Budget Session, enabling it to pass major legislations such as delimitation and women’s reservation-related measures.

Amid growing divisions within the TMC, Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday appointed MP Kalyan Banerjee as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha and formally requested Speaker Om Birla to recognise the appointment with immediate effect. The move is being viewed as an indirect acknowledgment of the serious split that has emerged within the party.

The development came a day after 20 of TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs reportedly broke ranks with Mamata Banerjee. The dissident group elected MP Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as its Chief Whip and subsequently submitted a letter bearing the signatures of the rebel MPs to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

BJP Arithmetic

The split within the TMC appears to be benefiting both the BJP and the NDA in terms of parliamentary arithmetic. In Parliament, 20 of TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs have announced support for the BJP. Since their number exceeds the two-thirds threshold (19 MPs in this case) the anti-defection law would reportedly not apply to them. The future course of the remaining eight TMC Lok Sabha MPs and the party’s 13 Rajya Sabha members remains unclear. However, political observers suggest that as many as nine Rajya Sabha MPs may also be inclined to join the rebel camp.

The developments significantly improve the BJP’s position in the Lok Sabha. The BJP currently has 240 MPs, 32 short of the simple majority mark of 272. The NDA presently commands 293 members in the House. With the support of the 20 rebel TMC MPs, the NDA’s strength would rise to 313.

Delimitation Bill

Such an increase would make it easier for the Modi government to pass legislation in the Lok Sabha. The government is reportedly keen to revive efforts during the upcoming Monsoon Session to secure passage of the Delimitation Bill and legislation linked to women’s reservation.

During voting on the Delimitation Bill on April 18, the proposal reportedly received 298 votes in favor. However, 352 votes were required for passage, leaving the government short by 52 votes. With the support of the 20 rebel TMC MPs, the NDA would still require 32 additional MPs to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.

In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP currently holds 113 seats, including seven members who reportedly joined after breaking away from the Aam Aadmi Party. Including seven nominated members, the NDA’s effective strength stands at 148 in the 245-member Upper House.

Thirty Rajya Sabha seats are scheduled to fall vacant later this year, and BJP leaders are hopeful of increasing their tally by at least five more seats. The party’s broader strategy appears increasingly clear that strengthen the NDA in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha before the next Budget Session so that major constitutional and electoral reforms, including delimitation and women’s reservation-related legislation, can be passed with the required two-thirds majority.

1 Comment

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Jun 29

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