Members raised concerns about the event’s potentially detrimental impact on the INDIA alliance at a time when it is taking on the government in Parliament.
Many leaders highlighted NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s scheduled event in Pune on August 1 at a gathering of INDIA constituents in Parliament on Friday.
They voiced concern that it would be bad optics for the alliance at a time when they are embroiled in a struggle with the government over Mr. Modi’s statement on the Manipur violence.
Mr. Modi will receive the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune, which is organized by the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust. Mr. Pawar will be the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
According to informed sources, one of the leaders of a regional party raised the subject initially, causing much consternation among members who expressed dismay.
Many others urged that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge or another leader approach Mr. Pawar and persuade him not to attend the event. Vandana Chavan, a Rajya Sabha member of the NCP, was the sole party representative who did not remark on the subject.
A top leader is said to have said, “We can awaken those who are sleeping, but can we awaken those who are pretending to sleep?”
Not just Manipur, but Aam Aadmi Party leaders pointed out that the Delhi Services Bill, scheduled on Monday in the Lok Sabha, may be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, and that the Opposition would need 100% attendance to defeat the Bill.
They said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would persuade Mr. Pawar to forgo the award ceremony and stay in Delhi for the legislation vote.
The opposition has decided to call a halt to its protest in order to discuss the Delhi Services Bill. Three Opposition MPs, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, JMM leader Shibu Soren, and JD(U) leader Bashistha Narain Singh, would be present in the Rajya Sabha.
The opposition, however, is still missing three members, including suspended Congress MP Rajni Patil and AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Praful Patel, an NCP MP who just switched sides, is the third member.
Meanwhile, while the Opposition awaits the Congress’s no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, to which Mr. Modi is anticipated to respond, the Trinamool Congress is scheduled to move a resolution on the matter in the West Bengal Assembly. It will be the first state run by the opposition to do so.
The notion was floated for the other Opposition parties to follow suit, but the Assembly session in three Congress-ruled states Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, just finished. It was the final Assembly session for both Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh before the state elections.
As the political dynamics continue to evolve, it remains to be seen how the Opposition will navigate these internal conflicts and work collectively to address the issues at hand, including the Delhi Services Bill and their stance on the no-confidence motion.
The article underscores the delicate balance and complex challenges faced by the Opposition as they try to assert their position and voice against the ruling government.
