“We fundamentally oppose any attempt to alter the constitutional balance in a manner that undermines federalism and democratic representation,” Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said. File photo: AICC via ANI
Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal speaks to The Hindu on the BJP’s push for the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on delimitation, the changing Opposition numbers, students losing faith in examinations after repeated paper leaks, concerns among vehicle owners over the use of ethanol in fuel, among others. Edited excerpts:
The Opposition benches will look very different this Monsoon Session, with 20 Trinamool Congress MPs and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs now sitting with the NDA, and the DMK will be a separate bloc. Does this fundamentally alter the Opposition’s numbers and morale?
Not at all. The seating arrangement may have changed, but that is not going to change the character of Parliament or the Opposition’s resolve. We will continue our fight against what we see as the government’s anti-Constitutional agenda with the same vigour.
This is not merely about numbers. The BJP is trying very hard to secure a two-thirds majority to push through Constitutional amendments, particularly on delimitation. But we are confident that parties understand the seriousness of the issue. Delimitation is not a Congress issue or an INDIA bloc issue alone; it is a national issue because it concerns India’s democratic and constitutional framework.
