The second day of the ongoing Monsoon session saw the Opposition closing ranks with Vice Presidential candidates of NDA and the two Vice Presidential candidates filing their nominations. However, on the other hand, BJD and JD-U's support to Gopal Krishna Gandhi also took political experts by surprise.
After extending their support to NDA's choice Ram Nath Kovind, both Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced support to Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, who is opposition's choice for Vice President's post.
"The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will support Sri Gopalkrishna Gandhi," Patnaik told media persons in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Even according to the party leadership, the BJD chief's decision proved that the party keeps equal distance from both Congress and BJP. On the other hand, another regional party, who also seem to keep the neutral political image, JD-U have already announced its support to non-NDA candidate on Monday and the party leadership called the former West Bengal governor as "better candidate" than former Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
Moreover, all 17 opposition parties held a meeting at the chamber of the Leader of Opposition of the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Parliament House before the commencement of the second day of the ongoing Monsoon session.
While briefing the newsmen here, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien said, "This is the first time opposition parties have shortlisted six or seven issues to be raised in both the Houses jointly. Mob lynching, where minority and weaker sections of the society are being victimized, recent increase in farmers' suicide and agrarian crisis across the nation, India-China border stand-off and the recent attack on Amarnath pilgrims are the prime issues."
Apart from the above, the incumbent BJP-led government using the CBI and ED especially against the opposition party leaders, the emerging GST plight in all business sectors, aftereffects of demonetization, government's failure to create jobs and the recent data by agencies on bleak job scenario in India will also be discussed in both the Upper and the Lower Houses of the Parliament, the TMC leader said.
In Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and TMC MP Sougata Roy jointly gave adjournment notice on the farmers' plight and all opposition leaders demanded House to be adjourned on Tuesday. According to them, the incumbent government should seriously think about the issue.
Because of the repeated disruptions, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had to adjourn the House for the day. Later in Business Advisory Committee, it was decided farmers' plight would be discussed in the House on Tuesday under rule 193- discussion without voting. Opposition parties gave 12 notices of suspension of the Business of the House. In the opposition party meeting, other than congress, TMC, Left, JD-U, SP, BSP, DMK and a host of other smaller parties were present.
BSP chief Mayawati's resignation from the Rajya Sabha is also going to be another bludgeon for the Opposition in the Parliament in the ongoing session, political observers feel.