Cong MPs want Rahul to lead in Lok Sabha
27 July 2012 3:07 AM GMT
A letter by 10 Congress MPs to the party president Sonia Gandhi seeking the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi's leadership in the Lok Sabha could well be the indicator of the role the Gandhi scion has ordained for himself in near future. The vacancy has been created following the election of Pranab Mukherjee as president. It needs to be filled before the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha commences on 8 August.
Written by the former union minister Bhakta Charan Das and seconded by the leaders like P C Chacko, who heads the jointt parliamentary committee on the 2G scam, Sanjay Nirupam, the prominent MP from Mumbai, among others. Other signatories to the letter are Partap Singh Bajwa, Madan Lal Sharma, Kamal Kishore Commando, Francisco Sardinha and Arvind Kumar Sharma. The letter claims, 'Rahul should be appointed to this post as he would be able to speak dynamically on issues concerning the masses and inspire fellow Parliamentarians.'
However, the needs of the office of the leader of the house is more than just speaking 'dynamically', as the signatories have claimed. A source in Lok Sabha secretariat said that the leader of the house is virtually responsible for the functioning of Parliament, as they have to take the initiative to coordinate with the opposition to get the government agenda passed on the floor. 'Pranab Mukherjee excelled in this role, as the prime minister is from the Rajya Sabha. In normal circumstances, it is the prime minister who also functions as the leader of the house, as was the case during the NDA regime, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister,' the source added.
The Congress insiders say that the move could be an attempt to create an interface between Gandhi and the leaders of various groups in Parliament.
Written by the former union minister Bhakta Charan Das and seconded by the leaders like P C Chacko, who heads the jointt parliamentary committee on the 2G scam, Sanjay Nirupam, the prominent MP from Mumbai, among others. Other signatories to the letter are Partap Singh Bajwa, Madan Lal Sharma, Kamal Kishore Commando, Francisco Sardinha and Arvind Kumar Sharma. The letter claims, 'Rahul should be appointed to this post as he would be able to speak dynamically on issues concerning the masses and inspire fellow Parliamentarians.'
However, the needs of the office of the leader of the house is more than just speaking 'dynamically', as the signatories have claimed. A source in Lok Sabha secretariat said that the leader of the house is virtually responsible for the functioning of Parliament, as they have to take the initiative to coordinate with the opposition to get the government agenda passed on the floor. 'Pranab Mukherjee excelled in this role, as the prime minister is from the Rajya Sabha. In normal circumstances, it is the prime minister who also functions as the leader of the house, as was the case during the NDA regime, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister,' the source added.
The Congress insiders say that the move could be an attempt to create an interface between Gandhi and the leaders of various groups in Parliament.
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