Congress declares ‘non-cooperation’ with Modi govt

The confrontation between the government and the Opposition would intensify further with the Congress planning to non-cooperate with the Modi dispensation after the latter played the AgustaWestland deal card to put the Sonia Gandhi-led party in the dock.

“Now, there will he complete non-cooperation with the Modi government,” said a Congress strategist after the party staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday evening.

Earlier, we used to be cooperative with the government on certain issues, keeping in mind the larger interest of the people. But the Modi dispensation is neither keen on governance nor has been interested in working with the parliamentary spirit, he said.

Although the strategist has not clarified the nature of “non-cooperation” but indicated that it will affect the government’s legislative agenda in the Upper House where the BJP-led NDA lacks majority.

If the GST Bill would be the obvious casualty of the confrontation, the government managers would have to depend more on atleast three parties—the AIADM, the Trinamul Congress and the BJD — for the support in the two Houses of Parliament. And the SP and the BSP cannot afford to be friendly with the government, atleast till the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls to be held in April-May next year.

Besides, the managers would have to keep the ally Shiv Sena in good humour as the later has been uncomfortable with the BJP and the PM fearing that they want to weaken Maharashtra either by splitting the state or by ensuring that major projects should not go to the state. And politically, the BJP can’t spread in Maharashtra without weakening the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and the MNS.

Currently, the Congress, Left and the JD (U) are together in Parliament, while the DMK cannot be friendly with the Centre.