New Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is sulking about Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad being dislodged from the front bench in the Lok Sabha and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi staying silent about it. That is why the party stayed away from the Congress-led Opposition protest in the Parliament complex over the alleged Gautam Adani bribery case for a second day in a row Thursday, ThePrint has learnt.
In the last Parliament session, SP had two seats in the front row where Akhilesh Yadav and Awadhesh Prasad used to sit along with other leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). But under the new arrangement, Awadhesh Prasad is now seated in the second row. Akhilesh is upset with the Congress for not doing anything about it. The new session began on 25 November.
Although the Speaker allocates the seats in proportion to the strength of different parties, as LoP, Rahul Gandhi has a say when it comes to Opposition benches. But the Congress told ThePrint that it was the government who decided the seating arrangement and it wasn’t able to fix the situation.
A Samajwadi Party MP, asking not to be named, told ThePrint, “On Wednesday When Akhilesh ji entered the Parliament, he decided to sit in the back along with other MPs but not in the front row where the LoP sits. Later, when a few journalists asked him for the reason behind it, he said, ‘dhanyawad Congress’ (Thanks to Congress). He hinted at the role of Congress behind the change of seating arrangement.”
“There are a total of seven seats in the front two rows which were occupied earlier by INDIA bloc leaders. We had two seats. Now apart from Congress which has four seats, we are left with one seat. On the other hand, Akhilesh ji wanted to be seated along with Ayodhya MP as he was sitting during the last session. He asked Congress also about it.”
The MP further added that, for the party, the victory in Ayodhya was “similar to winning a trophy” which it always wants to showcase during parliamentary debates. Akhilesh even mentioned the Ayodhya MP’s name in his speeches several times, he added. “He did not want him to sit in the back seat.”
As a result, the SP appears to have taken a cue from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and dissociated from the Congress’s protests in Parliament over the Adani affair.
While the TMC had said that Congress needed to raise issues concerning West Bengal, the SP has made similar arguments, saying that it needs to discuss the Sambhal violence in Parliament. However, deeper fault lines are developing between the Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc.
Many partners appear to be giving a short shrift to the Congress after its dismal showing in the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections.
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‘SP has to understand’
While talking to the media Thursday, SP’s Dimple Yadav accepted the seat arrangement issue but played it down. She said that the party had informed the Speaker about it. “Hope the issue will get solved. There is nothing to worry about,” she added.
On the other hand, Congress deputy Lok Sabha leader Gaurav Gogoi told ThePrint, “We are aware of this seating arrangement issue. It happened at the last minute. We wanted the Ayodhya MP to sit in the front row but it was the Speaker’s decision. The SP has to understand it. It’s the government people who changed the seating arrangement, not us.”
ThePrint has learnt that Samajwadi Party leaders have decided not to speak against the Congress but to distance themselves from it. SP leaders are also annoyed with the Congress’s continued protest on only one issue i.e. Adani.
A close aide of party chief Akhilesh told ThePrint, “The Adani issue is not reaching the common public. For them, unemployment, inflation, and Hindu-Muslim unity are more important but Congress is forcing the Adani issue on the alliance partners so we decided to skip such protests.”
When asked about the Samajwadi Party’s absence from the Adani protests, senior leader Ram Gopal Yadav stressed that the Sambhal violence was a critical issue for the party and “nothing else matters”.
While talking to ThePrint, Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Javed Ali said, “We got a message from Congress about the protest but they did not mention the issue in it.”
“For us, more than Adani, the Sambhal and paper leak issues are important as we are a regional party. We have to cater to our voters first. Our voters are more concerned about Sambhal violence. Issues like paper leaks and unemployment.”
Rajiv Rai, the party’s MP from Ghosi, told ThePrint, “Samajwadi Party leaders want the Sambhal violence issue to be taken up in the Parliament. Congress should also raise this issue. Our priorities are different. We will follow our leadership’s command.”
‘Silence on Kundarki & double-standards on Sambhal’
Seat allocation in the Lok Sabha was only the latest trigger. Samajwadi Party’s top leadership is also annoyed with Congress’s silence during Uttar Pradesh bypolls. Though it extended its support to SP for the elections, its leaders did not turn up for rallies in support of SP and its candidates.
A senior SP leader told ThePrint, “When policemen were stopping Muslim voters from voting in Kundarki, which falls under Sambhal Lok Sabha, Congress leadership was silent but when violence happened there later, suddenly they became active and tried to rush towards Sambhal. Why is there a double standard?”
While talking to ThePrint, Udaiveer Singh, the Samajwadi Party spokesperson said, “Our alliance with Congress has not ended. We are a part of the INDIA bloc but Congress needs to understand our issues. They should play the role of the partner in a positive way in our alliance. Our leadership always supported them but we are not getting similar support from their side.”
On the other hand, the Congress leadership has decided to continue to raise the Adani issue using the same tactics as previous sessions. A senior Congress leader told ThePrint, “This issue is close to top leadership. We have to extend our support. Those allies who are coming with us are fine but we can not force others to join.”
Plus, if SP is irked with “Congress’s activeness” on Sambhal then why has Akhilesh Yadav not tried visiting Sambhal? Our leadership reaches everywhere then why can’t SP leaders, he added on condition of anonymity.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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