Opposition to field common candidate for RS Dy chair

New Delhi: Opposition parties on Monday met to chalk out a joint strategy to corner the government on various issues during the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting July 18.

During the meeting, which was held in the office of the Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament House, the parties decided to field a common opposition candidate for the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, which fell vacant after the retirement of Congress leader PJ Kurien on July 1, sources said.

However, who will be the common candidate will be decided by three-party panel including the Congress, TMC and SP. Interestingly, the date for election of the RS Deputy chairman is yet to be announced.

Leaders, who attended the meeting of the opposition parties at Parliament House Library Building, included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma and Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress party; Sharad Pawar of the NCP; Sukhendu Shekhar Roy of AITC; Satish Chandra Misra of BSP; Ram Gopal Yadav of SP; Misa Bharti from RJD; Elangovan of DMK, Mohd Salim of CPI-M; D Raja of CPI; D Kupendra Reddy of JD-S; NK Premchandran of RSP; Jose K Mani from KC-M and Kunali Kutty of IUML. Representatives of TDP, TRS and BJD were absent during the meeting, the sources further mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) made it clear that it was not in the fray for the post and will support any joint opposition candidate through consensus.

The sources also indicated that the post may go to the NCP. It, however, said that the ruling NDA is keen on fielding its candidate and is seeking the support of some parties like the BJD and the AIADMK.

The name of Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral is also doing the rounds for the post from the ruling coalition.

The opposition parties, the sources said, have decided to bring to the fore of agrarian crisis focusing on farmers suicides and also the fact that the government ignored the Swaminathan Committee to report while announcing the increase in MSP for farm produce.

The opposition alleged that recent incidents of lynching and communal violence have "claimed" many lives in the country and the prime minister should state in the parliament what the government was doing to control the "divisive politics" unleashed by the RSS-BJP.

The opposition charged that the government does not want to touch the right-wing organisations with affiliations to the RSS and the Sangh Parivar. This is a dangerous trend. The prime minister should answer on the issues of lynching, Dalit killings, the SC/ST Act, a party leader said. The parties also will highlight about centre-state relationship, and rupees devaluation, the sources further mentioned.