Key Points
- Congress’s protests over the Adani issue caused a six-day disruption in Parliament.
- Pressure from opposition parties and Congress MPs forced a change in strategy.
- Parties like Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Left parties criticized Congress for focusing on Adani instead of other important issues.
- After a meeting with Speaker Om Birla, Congress agreed to let Parliament function again.
- Congress will continue protesting the Adani issue, but without blocking parliamentary proceedings.
Looma News
The winter session of Parliament, which began on November 25, saw Congress protesting over the Adani issue. For six days, Congress MPs disrupted proceedings, demanding action over reports that Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and others had been indicted in the U.S. for bribing Indian officials. However, Congress’s insistence on prioritizing the Adani issue caused tensions within the opposition INDIA bloc.
Other opposition parties, including Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, criticized Congress for focusing only on Adani. They argued that issues like unemployment, inflation, and regional concerns needed more attention. Even some Congress MPs were unhappy, saying the protests over Adani weren’t connecting with the public and weren’t producing results. A report from The Indian Express on November 2 revealed that Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha felt more accountable to their voters than those in the Rajya Sabha.
On November 2, a meeting called by Speaker Om Birla with opposition floor leaders helped break the deadlock. The opposition agreed to hold a debate on the Constitution, which would also touch on the Adani issue. Despite Congress’s initial resistance, pressure from its own MPs and alliance partners led the party to back down. This allowed Parliament to resume its work, signaling a shift in Congress’s approach.
Initially, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other party members had asked for a two-day special discussion on the Constitution to mark its 75th year of adoption. The government agreed to this, and Congress MPs later expressed hope that Parliament could now get back to business. Manickam Tagore, a Congress leader, confirmed that while the INDIA bloc supported the debate, Trinamool Congress was absent from the meeting.
Although Congress agreed to stop blocking Parliament, it still planned to continue protests over the Adani issue, but without disrupting the House. This change in strategy came after growing recognition that the protests weren’t achieving significant political results. With pressure mounting from both its MPs and opposition allies, Congress allowed Parliament to function again on December 3, 2024, marking a major shift in its approach.
