2024-08-29 00:32:32
New Delhi : In the third term of the Modi government, there is a tussle going on between the government and the Congress over the chairmanship of parliamentary committees. Congress, which won 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, has claimed the chairmanship of five parliamentary standing committees. Government representatives are talking to the Congress on this issue. According to reports, the government has offered at least three chairmanship posts to Congress candidates, while talks are on for the fourth one.
Big presence of India Block
The BJP-led NDA’s massive majority in the last two Lok Sabhas meant that the proportional share of chairmanships of the total 24 standing committees also went to the ruling party. However, this time the large presence of the India Bloc in the House means that the opposition is eligible to chair a larger number of panels. In such a situation, a tug-of-war is going on from both sides. Sources said that during the discussion between the government and Congress representatives held here on August 22, the opposition candidates demanded chairmanship of four standing committees related to the Lok Sabha and one committee from the Rajya Sabha.
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What is the government’s offer
The government side said it may consider giving the Congress chairmanship of a maximum of three House committees from Lok Sabha as three other India Bloc parties DMK, SP and Trinamool are to be allotted one standing committee chairmanship each from the opposition quota in Lok Sabha this time. The ruling side also pointed out that the Congress has already got the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Ministers of State Arjun Ram Meghwal and L Murugan represented the government while the Congress was represented by its deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and party’s chief whips Kodikunnil Suresh (Lok Sabha) and Jairam Ramesh (Rajya Sabha).
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On which committee does Congress have a claim
Talking about the details of the Lok Sabha committees, the Congress side has insisted on chairing one of the three major committees related to Finance or Foreign Affairs or Defense, besides chairing two other committees related to Social Justice and Empowerment and Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing. The government side told the Congress representatives that their demand for chairing one of the three major standing committees will be considered by the top leadership. At the same time, the opposition party was offered the chairmanship of the committees related to Labor, Textiles and Skill Development and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
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Last time only one committee was chaired
The Congress demanded the Home Affairs Committee to chair a House Committee of the Rajya Sabha, but the government side offered the Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change. In the previous Lok Sabha, where the Congress had only 53 members, it got the chairmanship of only one House Committee.