Why ‘Soros-Congress link’ row gives BJP fresh ammo to settle scores

Congress faces blistering attack

Monday (December 9) witnessed a deafening uproar in both Houses of Parliament with the Treasury Benches accusing the Congress and its high command of seeking to “destabilise India” and the Congress, hemmed in by cracks within the INDIA bloc on one hand, and palpably partisan presiding officers on the other, waging a lonely but aggressive counter-strike over the Adani row.

Also read: Opposition junks BJP charge of links between Congress, Soros

Indications that the BJP plans to use the bogey of a handshake between the Congress, more particularly Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi, Soros and the many foreign organisations his foundation funds had come in last Thursday (December 5) itself.

In a remarkable ‘coincidence’ last Thursday, both Houses of Parliament had the presiding officers, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in the Rajya Sabha and Speaker Om Birla in the Lok Sabha, allowing BJP members to make Zero Hour mentions regarding “concern over suspicious and conspicuous attacks on national interest from abroad”.

Coincidences, identical protests

The BJP MPs, Sudhanshu Trivedi in the Rajya Sabha and Nishikant Dubey in the Lok Sabha, had made identical allegations against the Congress and its leadership of working in cahoots with foreign media organisations and other institutions, several of which receive funds from Soros’ Open Society Foundation, to launch a “concerted campaign” to “hurt India’s stability, integrity and economic interests”. Shortly after, BJP MP Sambit Patra had addressed a press conference dubbing Rahul Gandhi as “a traitor of the highest order”.

Also read: Sonia Gandhi linked to organisation financed by George Soros Foundation: BJP

The political heat generated by the BJP’s explosive attacks at the Congress had triggered protests in both Houses of Parliament the following day. Several BJP leaders in the Rajya Sabha had even linked the dramatic recovery of a wad of currency at the seat allocated in the Upper House to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi (the ownership of the cash has not yet been established) with “funds received by the Congress to destabilise India”.

NDA MPs demand discussion on Soros

As Parliament reconvened for its winter session on Monday (December 9), it became immediately clear that the uproar which washed away House proceedings on Thursday and Friday was just a trailer of the BJP’s targeted attack at the Congress.

On Monday, in yet another break from parliamentary conventions, Rajya Sabha proceedings began with MPs from the Treasury side, including members of BJP allies, moving adjournment motions under Rule 267 demanding a discussion on media reports over the weekend alleging a “financial relationship” between “a political party” and foreign organisations “funded by Soros”. A similar discussion was sought by NDA MPs in the Lower House.

Also read: George Soros: The billionaire in the eye of storm over his remark on India, Modi

Though the adjournment motions were rejected in the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar allowed Treasury MPs, including Kavita Patidar and Laxmikant Bajpai who sought the Rule 267 discussion, to raise during the Zero Hour allegations of attempts to “destabilise India”.

As Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and other Congress MPs tried in vain to protest against the Chairman allowing Treasury Benches to “speak on issues not allowed by the Chair”, a battery of NDA MPs scorched the Congress with their allegations, naming Sonia and Rahul while doing so.

Attacks on Sonia, Rahul

Kharge’s attempt to urge the Chair to strike the comments out of the record as the allegations were “baseless” and were being made against a member (Sonia) who was “not present in the House” went unheeded. Kharge’s strong protest of accusing the Chairman of “killing democracy” by “not allowing the LoP to speak” was also struck off the record.

Also read: US rubbishes BJP’s ‘deep state’ claim over Modi-Adani attacks

At one point Dhankhar even seemed to mock the LoP by asking “who is that MP whose name has been taken” while BJP MPs Patidar, Bajpai and Radhamohan Das Agarwal continued to attack Sonia, whom ironically, the Chairman had extended birthday greetings to at the start of Monday’s proceedings. At one point, BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari even dubbed the principal Opposition party and the Gandhi family “traitors” and “anti-nationals.”

Dhankar parrots NDA allegations

While the heated exchanges saw repeated adjournments in both Houses, in the Rajya Sabha Dhankhar stoked further disruptions by echoing, unequivocally and without clarifications, views expressed earlier by Leader of the House, JP Nadda, Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and sundry NDA MPs.

“We cannot allow any forces within the country or outside to sacrilege our unity, our integrity and our sovereignty... this is not a challenge to one section or the other but a challenge to our very existence; a Deep State that is evolving is required to be neutralised... all forces that have a sinister design to run down our progress and impede our economic interests have to be neutralised, we cannot afford to countenance or overlook such designs,” Dhankhar told the House before adjourning proceedings for the day shortly after 3 PM.

Oppn to demand Dhankar’s impeachment

The Rajya Sabha Chairman has called the Nadda, Kharge and floor leaders of some other parties in the Rajya Sabha to meet him in his Chambers before the start of Tuesday’s proceedings to “find a way” to end the logjam over the latest flashpoint between the Treasury and the Opposition Benches.

Sources in the INDIA bloc, however, said that the stalemate is likely to continue. The Congress and at least “some other INDIA Bloc parties” are thinking of bringing a resolution in the House seeking Dhankhar’s removal as Vice President (and, by extension, Chairman of the Rajya Sabha) accusing him of “partisan conduct” of House proceedings.

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This wouldn’t be the first time that the Opposition is mulling over moving such a plan. The Federal had reported on August 10 that soon after the monsoon session of Parliament concluded INDIA bloc leaders discussed the possibility of bringing a resolution against Dhankhar owing to his “visible pro-government bias” in the conduct of House proceedings. The matter had been given a quiet burial then as the monsoon session had ended and there was no clarity within the INDIA Bloc on what the timing of such a resolution should be.

How is a vice president impeached?

As per the Constitution, the process for seeking the Vice President’s removal isn’t as cumbersome as the one laid down for the President’s impeachment. Article 67 (b) of the Constitution reads, “Vice-President may be removed from his office by a resolution of the Council of States passed by a majority of all the then members of the Council and agreed to by the House of the People; but no resolution for the purpose of this clause shall be moved unless at least fourteen days’ notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution.”

Thus, the Opposition can seek Dhankhar’s removal from office after serving a fortnight’s notice of the intention to move such a resolution. Of course, the resolution would pass only if the Opposition can muster a majority in the Upper House; a threshold that INDIA bloc is aware it won’t be able to cross with its current strength of 85 members. In any case, the winter session of Parliament is scheduled to end on December 20 which means there are only 10 more sittings left in the current session while the resolution for removing the Vice President is required to serve a 14-day notice.

Congress’ poor poll show weakens alliance

Besides, sources in the Congress and the wider INDIA Bloc told The Federal that “much has changed politically” within the Opposition since the last time when the group discussed the possibility of moving a resolution to remove the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Also read: INDIA Bloc shows signs of crack as Congress loses trust, falters in coalition duties

“The alliance is no longer as strong or united as it was when the monsoon session was convened. Then we were still riding the high of a good show in the Lok Sabha election and despite the attitude of the Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman, we had forced the Centre to make U-turns on various matters. But now the BJP is on an aggressive mode again because of its strong performance in the Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and even Jammu while our alliance is struggling to even make a coordinated floor strategy in Parliament because of the poor performance of the Congress in these elections and the callous attitude of the Congress leadership towards combating the BJP,” a senior Rajya Sabha MP from the Trinamool Congress told The Federal.

Why allies will not defend the Gandhis

Congress leaders too concede that their party’s disastrous performance in the recent Assembly polls has directly and adversely impacted the party leadership’s ability to convince other INDIA partners to rally behind them. “We are slowly getting back to the pre-INDIA Bloc situation... whether it is the Trinamool Congress or the Samajwadi Party or the AAP or even the Left Parties; they are all undermining the Congress again because of our assembly defeats (sic)... you can see this in the way the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party stay away from our protests on the Adani issue,” a Congress MP said.

Also read: Ready to lead INDIA Bloc, given the opportunity, says Mamata

The MP added, “on the issue of the Rajya Sabha’s Chairman’s removal, we may still find support from INDIA leaders because all of them have the same grievance against the Chairman’s biased conduct but on the larger issue of how to take on the BJP, there is no unanimity... why should Mamata Banerjee or Arvind Kejriwal or Akhilesh come to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi’s defence on this Soros issue when they know that the BJP will immediately paint them as anti-national too... by raising the Soros issue, BJP has found the perfect counter to our attack on the Modi-Adani partnership even if its allegations are completely unfounded”.

No defence against BJP’s aggressive narrative

A Lok Sabha MP of the Congress said the BJP’s allegations on the ‘Sonia-Soros link’ pose another challenge to the Congress high command. “The common man may not know who is George Soros but the BJP’s rhetoric of foreign forces trying to destabilise India and Congress being hand-in-glove with them is easy to sell because it rides on the emotion of hyper-nationalism which has a huge constituency because of the kind of narrative Modi has mastered to the BJP’s advantage since 2014,” the Congress Lok Sabha MP said.

Also read: French outlet Mediapart slams BJP for ‘exploiting’ reportage to spread ‘fake news’

“Now the BJP can use all the negative statements that have been made against the Modi government in the international media, various global indices like human rights, poverty, press freedom, etc. to its advantage by dubbing everything as part of the Congress toolkit, highlight statements Rahul makes against Modi during foreign trips and may be even revive allegations of the Sonia-Quattrocchi (late Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi was among the prime accused in the Bofors scandal) link in Bofors. It’s a strong narrative and the INDIA bloc parties may not want to come to our defence fearing they will have to face the heat too,” the MP said.