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BJP junks time-honoured Parliamentary principle, keeps chairmanship of key Parliamentary committees

Published

7 years ago

on

Narendra Modi

In an unprecedented break with Parliamentary principle and tradition, the ruling BJP has kept the chairmanship of most of the parliamentary panels that scrutinise the functioning of key ministries of the government and submit reports on relevant issues or bills after scrutinising them.

It has left to the opposition just the Ministry of Home Affairs, headed by party president Amit Shah.

The files on the appointments were cleared by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday, Sep 13. The Lok Sabha Secretariat updated the details of parliament’s standing committees for the newly constituted 17th Lok Sabha late night on Friday night.

BJP leaders have replaced Opposition MPs as the chairperson of the Parliamentary standing committees on finance and external affairs, PTI reported. The two crucial panels were led by Congress MPs in the previous Lok Sabha.

BJP MP Jayant Sinha will be the chairperson of the standing committee on finance, Jual Oram will head the committee on defence and PP Choudhary will lead the external affairs committee. In the 16th Lok Sabha, the finance panel was headed by Congress MP Veerappa Moily and external affairs by Shashi Tharoor.

Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Jairam Ramesh will head two Rajya Sabha panels: home affairs, and science and technology. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be a member of the defence panel, according to the statement.

In a reshuffle, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien was not retained as the chairman of the travel, tourism and culture committee. Trinamool’s Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay will be the chairman of the panel on consumer affairs, the statement said.

The opposition parties have been given the chairmanship of Science and Technology and Environment, Health, Information Technology, Food and Consumer Affairs, Labour and Chemicals &Fertilizers.

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Bhupender Yadav is heading the committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice. BJP’s Rakesh Singh is chairing the committee on Coal and Steel, Ramesh Bidhuri (Petroleum &Natural Gas), Rama Devi (Social Justice and Empowerment), Satynarayan Jatiya (HRD), K Keshava Rao (Industry) Jagadambika Pal (Urban Development) and Sanjay Jaiswal (Water Resources).

V Vijayasai Reddy of the YSRCP, considered to be friendly to the BJP at the centre, is appointed to chair the panel on Commerce, BJD’s Bhartruhari Mehtab is heading the committee on Labour, ally JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan will chair the Energy panel, Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav heads the Rural Development panel.

DMK MP M Kanimozhi will chair the committee that scrutinises the Chemicals and Fertiliser ministry. Shashi Tharoor who had headed the panel on external affairs committee in the 16th Lok Sabha is now been given the chairmanship of Information Technology panel.

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav chairs the panel on Health and Family Welfare.

The chairmanship of panels on Railways and Agriculture, apparently much sought after committees, has been given to former ministers and senior BJP leaders Radha Mohan Singh and PC Gaddigoudar. The post for the panel on Transport, Tourism and Culture is gone to Rajya Sabha member TG Venkatesh who has joined the BJP from TDP recently. TMC’s Derek O’Brien was heading it. In the newly constituted panels, TMC’s Lok Sabha MP Sudhip Bandhyopadhyay has been chosen to head the standing committee on Food Consumer Affairs and PDS.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who was a member of the panel on external affairs, has now been moved to the parliamentary panel on defence, which is headed by Jual Oram.

Standing committees are allocated by Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman on the recommendation of the government.

Congress criticises move

With the latest move, the Congress, which has 52 lawmakers in the current Lok Sabha, will be left with just one panel to lead in the Lower House — the panel on information technology. The Congress had chaired two committees in the previous Lok Sabha, when it had 44 members in the Lower House.

The Congress party has already expressed its disappointment over the move.

The Congress’ floor leader, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said: “We have been informed that we will get the chairmanship of just one panel… I had shot a protest letter to parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi. I told him that functioning of Parliament means there should be some checks and balance. It is also the right of the parties to head the panels.”

Chowdhury said that in the best interest of parliamentary democracy, the Congress must be given its due. “I also reminded him that when we had 44 MPs, we headed two panels and now we are a 52-member team but you want to give us just one panel to head. This is injustice,” said Chowdhury.

Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, who headed the foreign affairs panel in the last Lok Sabha, hit out at the BJP, calling the decision “one more blow to our soft power, image and international reputation as a mature democracy”. Tharoor said this is the first time the foreign ministry panel was not given to the main Opposition party.

Tharoor also took a jibe at the Modi government, saying a BJP MP will now hold the BJP government accountable instead. “It’s official: Government has decided to end the tradition of the leading Opposition party chairing the External Affairs Committee. Apparently a BJP MP will now hold the BJP Govt accountable instead,” he said in a tweet.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the former Union minister had said in the entire history of Parliamentary Standing Committees, the Committee on External Affairs has always been headed by an Opposition Lok Sabha MP.

“Our tradition is foreign policy bipartisanship: our political differences stop at the nation’s borders. Dismaying,” he had said, tagging a media report that claimed that the government may deny the Congress chairmanship of the standing committees of finance and external affairs it held in the last Lok Sabha.

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Mamata Banerjee warns BJP, EC over Bengal polls, says they will be accountable

Mamata Banerjee holds BJP and Election Commission responsible for any incidents during Bengal polls, raising concerns over officer transfers.

Published

19 hours ago

on

March 17, 2026

By

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has held the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India responsible for any untoward incidents in the state during the upcoming assembly elections, following the transfer of key officials.

Addressing concerns over administrative reshuffles, Banerjee said that changes involving senior bureaucrats, including the chief secretary and home secretary, could affect governance and law and order in the state during a crucial period.

The Trinamool Congress chief also announced candidates for 291 constituencies for the elections scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29.

Criticising the Election Commission, Banerjee alleged that the transfers were being carried out in a manner that benefits the BJP. She questioned the timing of the decisions and said such actions weaken the state administration at a sensitive time.

She further raised concerns about disaster management and essential services, stating that experienced officials familiar with the state’s situation have been replaced. According to her, this could impact administrative efficiency if any emergency arises before the new government is formed.

Protecting Bengal’s identity

Banerjee emphasised that the election is not merely about forming a government but about safeguarding Bengal’s identity and existence. She accused the BJP of misusing central agencies and attempting to influence the electoral process.

She urged that elections should be conducted peacefully, without external interference, and in line with democratic principles. The chief minister also expressed confidence that her party would return to power with a stronger mandate.

Appealing to voters, she called for support for the Trinamool Congress, asserting that the people of Bengal will ultimately decide the outcome and protect their democratic rights.

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Mamata Banerjee writes to poll chief over officers’ reshuffle, calls move arbitrary

Mamata Banerjee has written to the Chief Election Commissioner, calling the reshuffle of senior Bengal officials arbitrary and raising concerns over constitutional norms.

Published

1 day ago

on

March 17, 2026

By

mamta banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, raising strong objections to the recent reshuffle of senior bureaucrats in the state ahead of the assembly elections.

In her letter, Banerjee described the move by the Election Commission of India as “arbitrary” and expressed “deep concern” over what she termed a unilateral decision. She urged the Commission to refrain from adopting such measures in the future.

The Chief Minister pointed out that while the Election Commission does have the authority to make administrative changes during elections, past practice has involved consultation with the state government. According to her, the Commission would typically seek a panel of officers from the state and make its selections from that list, maintaining what she called constitutional propriety and administrative convention.

Banerjee warned that bypassing this process could undermine the institutional credibility and long-standing legacy of the poll body, and may also affect the foundational principles of the constitutional framework.

The controversy stems from the Commission’s decision, taken soon after announcing election dates, to remove several top officials from election-related duties. These include the state’s Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Kolkata Police Commissioner, and Home Secretary.

The Commission has maintained that the reshuffle was aimed at ensuring a peaceful and violence-free electoral process.

Reacting sharply, Banerjee alleged bias in the decision-making, claiming that the removal of the Chief Secretary indicated an anti-women stance. She also accused the Commission of selectively targeting officers, suggesting that the move favoured individuals aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress escalated its protest, staging a day-long walkout from the Rajya Sabha earlier in the day.

Responding to the criticism, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Election Commission is a constitutional authority, adding that questioning its decisions in Parliament is inappropriate and unproductive.

The Commission has appointed a new Chief Secretary in place of the outgoing official as part of the reshuffle.

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BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

Published

2 days ago

on

March 16, 2026

By

BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

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