BJP to 'aggressively' counter opposition attack in Parliament as Congress sticks to its guns

NEW DELHI: A substantial portion of the monsoon session of Parliament looks set for a washout with BJP planning an aggressive response to the Congress attack on the Lalit Modi and Vyapam controversies, pushing back over the former cricket czar's links with Congress and claiming lack of evidence against ruling party leaders in both the cases.
Both sides dug in for a fight with Congress unrelenting in its demand that foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should quit over the Lalit Modi and Vyapam affairs.
Though there was speculation over Raje and Chouhan being called to meet BJP president Amit Shah, party sources made it clear that this was in the context of the party's decision to take on the Congress and there were no individual meetings scheduled. “The CMs were called to ensure there is no communication gap,” said a party functionary.
READ ALSO: Modi govt unlikely to bring land bill in Monsoon session
Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said running Parliament and passage of important bills would be “easier” if Prime Minister Narendra Modi took action against those involved in ‘Lalitgate’ and Vyapam scam, respecting people’s sentiments.
“The minimum action is removal of all those who are involved in scams, including Rajasthan chief minister, an Union minister, Madhya Pradesh chief minister and two ministers of Maharashtra,” Azad said. His allusion to the Maharashtra ministers was in the context of Pankaja Munde and Vinod Tawde but Lalit Modi and Vyapam are the main issues.
Congress's enthusiasm to gun for Swaraj over the Lalit Modi controversy is not shared by regional parties like Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress and AIADMK. In fact, SP had even come out in support of Swaraj. Congress though is unfazed by the lack of opposition unity and feels that by being at the forefront of protests, its claim of being the main opposition force will only be sharpened.
The regional parties are likely to mount disruptive protests by taking up other issues. The TMC is expected to raise the ante over the land acquisition bill in order to counter the impression that it is ceding opposition space to Congress.
READ ALSO: Remove scam-accused ministers and get bills passed, Congress tells PM Modi
A glimpse of the likely confrontation when Parliament opens on Tuesday was on show last week when PM Modi said in Jammu that a ‘muqabla’ (contest) was waiting to happen in Lok Sabha while also taking potshots at the Congress. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi immediately returned fire from Jaipur, taunting Modi over his “56-inch chest” references.
BJP's decision to go head to head with Congress was finalized at a meeting convened by party president Amit Shah on Sunday. Raje attended the meeting and Chouhan met Shah separately as his aircraft reached Delhi late. Neither chief ministers -- at the centre of opposition attacks over ‘Lalitgate’ and Vyapam -- were slated to meet Shah individually.

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje was in Delhi on Sunday as BJP braced for opposition attack over Lalit Modi row in Parliament. (PTI photo)
The meeting was also attended by Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Swaraj, Smriti Irani, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Piyush Goyal as well as party spokespersons. Subsequently, Shah, Jaitley and other senior leaders like Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu met the PM to fine-tune the strategy.
BJP is expected to counter the anticipated opposition attacks by pointing out that Lalit Modi has been profuse about his interactions with Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders. BJP leaders feel that Congress would need to explain Lalit Modi's allegations of favours being sought on behalf of its top leaders if it rakes up the visa controversy.
On the Vyapam scam and the alleged suspicious deaths, the party feels the CBI probe should help explain that the matter was no longer under the Madhya Pradesh government. It was also pointed out that a number of allegedly suspicious deaths had not proceeded beyond circumstance. Also, the involvement of the chief minister was not established in the scam.
BJP's defence is unlikely to cut ice with the opposition, and heated clashes with the Congress in particular are on the cards. The nitty-gritty of BJP's argument that Raje's son Dushyant Singh -- a BJP MP -- is the legal owner of the palace alleged to have been state property and the cheque dealings with Lalit Modi in a business may be lost in a parliamentary din but are intended to signal that the ruling party is looking to hold its own.
The move to turn the spotlight on Congress in the Lalit Modi affair is also calculated to isolate the party from other opposition parties. Though Congress is the main opposition, its diminished strength in Lok Sabha puts regional parties like Trinamool and Biju Janata Dal more at par than would usually have been the case.
BJD leader in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab has indicated that his party is not inclined to make common cause with Congress on all issues, a signal that attacks on the government over Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues may not flow into a similar stance on important bills like GST and land acquisition.
Read this in Hindi: कांग्रेस और BJP ने कड़े किए तेवर, मॉनसून सत्र हंगामेदार रहने के आसार