Led by parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, the Center has held several talks with opposition parties, especially the Congress, on the matter. (Image: PTI/File)
While the Congress is demanding a total of six committees, it is likely to get three in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha even as the BJP-led Center is thinking of accommodating other opposition parties such as the TMC, SP and DMK.
Three months after the new government was sworn in, who will be the parliamentary committee is still a problem. While the Congress is demanding a total of six committees, it is likely to get three in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha even as the BJP-led Center is thinking of accommodating other opposition parties such as the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK.
BJP is also likely to accommodate NDA allies. Its biggest ally, N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), may get a standing committee for city affairs. Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, can get renewable energy committee.
The Congress has nominated Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Jairam Ramesh to discuss the standing committee. The party won 99 seats in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, but its strength now stands at 97 after Rahul Gandhi resigned from the Wayanad seat and Nanded MP passed away.
According to the party’s calculations, it has the right to chair at least three committees in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha, but demands six committees. These include key committees such as finance and external affairs in the Lok Sabha, and the home committee in the Rajya Sabha.
Top government sources said that despite the Congress’s demand for six committees, the Center will give three in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. “The Congress has demanded a finance committee, but they already have a PAC (Public Accounts Committee) so they cannot be given another finance committee,” said a source.
CNN-News18 has learned through reliable sources that Congress will get a foreign affairs committee. The party said it will nominate Shashi Tharoor as the chairman of this panel. Sources said the party’s request for a home and defense committee has been rejected.
Unlike yesterday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will also be offered a standing committee. It is likely that the Mamata Banerjee-led party will get a committee on railways or food processing.
There is a bitter political exchange between the BJP and the TMC over the ruling party in West Bengal not being given a single committee. An example was cited by BJP leader in the Rajya Sabha, Piyush Goyal that despite being the main opposition party in Bengal, the state government did not get a committee. However, this time, chances are the party will have at least one.
It has been learned that the Samajwadi Party (SP), which has 37 MPs in the Lok Sabha, has earmarked a committee in the Rajya Sabha for one of its senior most leaders Ram Gopal Yadav. He previously chaired the health committee. The Akhilesh Yadav-led party may be offered health or education.
Sources further said that the government will give important committees to DMK, both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Congress has an environmental committee in the Rajya Sabha, where Jairam Ramesh is the chairman. Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi is also the chairman of the trade committee. At the start of the previous Lok Sabha, Tharoor chaired this panel, but due to a war of words with BJP MPs on various issues, he chaired the committee on chemicals and fertilisers.
DMK has one committee in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha. Kanimozhi is the chairman of the rural development committee while Tiruchi Siva is the chairman of the committee for industries. Yadav SP was given the health committee, which is in the Rajya Sabha, and then paved the way for the BJP to give the committee to Bhubaneswar Kalita.
With the commencement of the new Lok Sabha, the term of the new committee will begin on September 1. chairman.
The Lok Sabha has 16 parliamentary standing committees, while the Rajya Sabha has eight. Led by parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, the government has held several talks with opposition parties on the matter. Just recently, TMC MP Derek O’Brien wrote to the Rajya Sabha chairman questioning the delay in naming committees.
About this, Rijiju said, “We will proceed according to the convention, and we will not break the rules. The normal time to elect the committee and chairman is the end of September. Until now, we are still receiving names from various parties for members of parliament to be members of various -various committees. The opposite party should complain that we do not release the list of committees in September. Our training is good, and we will release the names of the committee members and also the chairman.
