Parliamentary skills effervesce in major VS showdown

Raipur, December 24, 2011

Parliamentary skills and political strategy effervesced palpably during the much-talked winter session of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly with both ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and principal opposition Congress resorting to these tools to emphatically prove their dominance on key affairs. The two-member Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too succeeded in making its presence felt in the House when it abstained from dancing to the tunes of the principal opposition during vote against the government and by doing so it also managed to erase the tag of ‘silent followers of Congress in the state’.

The Congress really waited for a long time to leave its impression in the House as whenever it endeavoured, the ruling party overpowered it. However, in this winter session, it did the most unexpected by moving pre-time no confidence motion and let no stone unturned in making mincemeat of the government.

The ruling party, on the other side, as usually showed confidence on its selected firebrand members who had always rescued it from N number of embarrassing moments in the past.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brijmohan Agrawal was undoubtedly the focal point of the BJP think-tank. He defended the government with his political acumen, although at certain junctures he could not help trespassing the fine lines of the parliamentary decorum. Agrawal’s counter-attacks were reinvigorated by the fellow party member Devji Bhai Patel, who has somewhat learnt to use less harsh and more dulcet opinions about the government’s functioning after being inducted in the system with portfolio of Beverages Corporation.

The true faceoff between the ruling and the principal opposition started from Day-two, but the former stoked the fire on the first day when it mounted pressure for debate on the latter’s no confidence motion.

From Congress, senior legislator Nandkumar Patel, who is said to have convinced CLP leader Ravindra Choubey for no confidence motion, apparently played the role of sheet anchor for his side by participating in almost every debate. Choubey, who always gives jolts to the ruling party with his oratory and parliamentary traits, firmly volleyed string of words to the government on different subjects.

For the first time, the leader of the House Chief Minister Raman Singh looked defensive in his speech as he did not forget terming himself a common man who gets hurt by baseless allegations.

The Congress strategy to boycott Health Minister Amar Agrawal in wake of his controversial remarks on Balod eye camp incident remained successful as it not only peeved the minister himself, but also the other members of state cabinet.

The other members who remained centrestage during debates from their respective parties were - Panchayat & Rural Development Minister Ramvichar Netam and Agriculture Minister Chandrashekhar Sahu from the government and Mohammad Akbar, Dharmjeet Singh and Dr Shakrajeet Nayak from Congress.