Signalling a rift in the INDIA bloc after the Congress’ mega defeats in the Maharashtra and Haryana elections, the Trinamool Congress has said it will not be a rubber stamp for its ally’s decisions. Differing with the Congress’ push for a discussion in Parliament on alleged corruption, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has said it wants the House to function so that it can raise the issues of the people of West Bengal.

Sources in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said the stand has been endorsed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has emphasised that the Congress is not an electoral ally of the party despite both being members of the INDIA alliance, and the TMC does not have to accept “unilateral decisions” taken by the Congress. 

The Congress and the TMC had contested the Lok Sabha elections and the recent bypolls in West Bengal separately. The Trinamool Congress won all six seats in the bypoll and 29 of 40 constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections, bettering its 2019 tally despite a big effort being put into the state by the BJP.

A TMC leader said that the party does want to discuss corruption – one of the issues because of which both Houses of Parliament have been adjourned since Monday – but doesn’t want it to overshadow the issues of the people of West Bengal. 

“West Bengal has been deprived of funds, there has been a rise in prices across the country, and we are pushing for a law for speedier justice for women who are raped. These are some of the issues that we want to raise. For this, we need Parliament to function,” said the leader.

Rumblings Under The Surface

Despite being members of the INDIA Alliance at the Centre, the Trinamool Congress and the Congress have had an uneasy relationship and there was also speculation about the regional party pulling out of the opposition grouping ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. While the cracks had been papered over with statements by Mamata Banerjee and the top leadership of the Congress, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi, they have reappeared several times since then.

After the Congress’ unexpected defeat in Haryana in October, the Trinamool Congress lost no time in hitting out at its ally, accusing it of “arrogance” and not accommodating regional parties in states where it sees itself as strong. 

“This attitude leads to electoral losses – ‘if we feel we’re winning, we will not accommodate regional party but, in states where we’re down, regional parties must accommodate us.’ Arrogance, entitlement, & looking down on regional parties is a recipe for disaster,” Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale had said. 

The TMC twisted the knife following the rout of the Congress-Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)-NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) alliance in Maharashtra last week and its MP Kalyan Banerjee called for Mamata Banerjee to be named the head of the INDIA coalition

“For the last three or four years what have they done? In the INDIA alliance, who is the leader? Nobody has been chosen as a leader, as a face of the opposition. Now it has to be done. The Congress has failed, that mich is established. Congress leaders tried in Haryana, they failed. (In) Maharashtra, they have failed. It is not that only Congress has lost, it is that we all, in INDIA alliance, who have lost. We reposed our faith in Congress but it could not achieve the result,” Mr Banerjee told NDTV on Monday.

“You see, the byelections happened. Everyone criticised Mamata Banerjee, but we won six out of six seats in Bengal. We won by a margin of 1 lakh. People reposed confidence in Mamata Banerjee. The people of Bengal and people all over India love Mamata Banerjee. Why? Because of her fighting character,” he added.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey sought an extension for the joint parliamentary commission studying contentious proposed amendments to the Waqf Bill, sources told NDTV Wednesday evening.

This means the ruling party and opposition MPs on the committee have both moved resolutions to extend the JPC’s time till Parliament’s Budget Session, which will likely be in July next year.

Mr Dubey’s surprise move comes a day after opposition MPs on the committee met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and requested a “reasonable” extension of the panel’s tenure.

This, in turn, was after opposition leaders, including Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress and Kalyan Banerjee of Trinamool, once again protested against committee chair Jagadambika Pal of the BJP, alleging he was forcing proceedings to meet the original November 29 deadline.

The JPC on the amendments to the Waqf Bill has seen mud-flinging, stormy meetings, and high drama, including Mr Banerjee smashing a glass bottle and flinging it at Mr Pal, since it began functioning.

READ | Trinamool MP Explains ‘Hulk’ Moment During Waqf Bill Meeting

All through, opposition MPs on the panel have repeatedly accused Mr Pal of impropriety.

They have also questioned the committee hearing from groups such as Odisha-based Panchasakha Bani Prachar, arguing that these have no stake in discussions on the Waqf law.

Earlier this month they wrote to Mr Birla warning they would ‘dissociate’ themselves from the committee. They claimed Mr Pal was taking unilateral decisions regarding the panel’s functioning and called his actions a “forceful way to mitigate (protests) and pass the Bill”.

READ | Opposition MPs Write To Lok Sabha Speaker Over Waqf Bill JPC

The proposed changes to the Waqf Bill were first tabled in Parliament in August and then, amid protests from opposition MPs (and questions from some key BJP allies) sent to the JPC.

Among the proposed changes to the Waqf laws (apart from having non-Muslim members on the board) is a provision to include at least two women, including the Central Council. Government sources have told NDTV the idea is to empower Muslim women and children who “suffered” under the old law.

At least three BJP allies – including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, both of whom are critical in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party maintaining its government – have also spoken out against the Waqf Amendment Bill.

The JPC’s proposals were expected to be tabled in this session of Parliament.

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