Congress loses chairmanship of parliamentary committee on IT, Home

With Congress losing the chairmanship of the parliamentary committee on Home Affairs in the latest rejig announced on Tuesday (October 4), all key parliamentary panels – External Affairs, Defence, and Finance – lie with the ruling BJP.

Besides Home Affairs, Congress was also not given the chairmanship of Information and Technology in the latest reconstitution of parliamentary panels, which happens annually.

The chairmanship of two key parliamentary panels – Commerce and Chemicals Fertilisers – are yet to be announced.

Also read: Telangana Congress unit snubs Tharoor; bats for Kharge

The number of committees is allocated in accordance with the strength of the party in either house of the parliament.

In the latest reconstitution of parliamentary panels, notified by secretariats of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, chairpersons of several committees have been changed.

Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi has been replaced by BJP MP and former DGP of Uttar Pradesh Brijlal as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing committee on Home Affairs.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is contesting the party’s presidential polls, has been replaced by Prataprao Jadhav, a Shiv Sena MP from the Shinde faction, as the head of the Parliamentary Panel on Information Technology.

Also read: After RSS leader voices concern on poverty, Congress credits it to Bharat Jodo Yatra

Tharoor’s committee was in news throughout the year for taking up several subjects which were critical of the government.

The Trinamool Congress, which had the chair of the Parliamentary Panel on Food and Consumer Affairs, has not been given the chairmanship of any parliamentary committee after the reshuffle.

The panel on food will be chaired by BJP MP from West Bengal Locket Chatterjee.

“TMC is the third largest party in Parliament, also the second largest opposition party does not get a single chairmanship. The largest opposition party loses two crucial chairmanships of Standing committees. This is the stark reality of New India,” TMC leader in Rajya Sabha Derek OBrien said in a statement.

NEW Standing committees announced.

Third largest party in #Parliament, @AITCofficial also 2nd largest opposition party, DOES NOT GET EVEN ONE chairmanship. Also, largest oppn party loses two crucial chairmanships of Parliament committees.
This is the stark reality of New India

— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) October 4, 2022

Similarly, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Samajwadi Party also lost the chairmanship of the panel on Industry and Health respectively, left with no committee to chair.

Also read: Kharge choice: Congress’ socio-political engineering ahead of 2024

TRS leader Keshav Rao has been replaced by DMK leader Tiruchi Siva as chairperson of the panel on Industry, while BJP MP Vivek Thakur will head the panel on Health replacing SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav.

BJP’s erstwhile ally JD(U) has also been given a committee in the latest restructuring. Its Rajiv Ranjan Singh will now chair the panel on Urban Development.