BJP-led NDA has the muscle, but still can't prevent skirmishes in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Expectations that BJP-led NDA's control over 60% of the Lok Sabha will make the task of running Parliament simpler seem to be belied by sharp clashes between the treasury benches and the opposition.

On Monday, BJD and Telangana Rashtra Samithi MPs forced an adjournment of Lok Sabha protesting an ordinance that transfers some villages to Seemandhra despite Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's pleas for order.

On Tuesday, there were sharp exchanges between BSP leader Satish Mishra and Janata Dal (U)'s K C Tyagi and BJP during the debate over the motion thanking the President for his address to Parliament.

As the short initial session of Parliament closes on Wednesday, BJP and Congress are also engaged in a war of nerves over the leader of opposition's post and other appointments like deputy Speaker.

BJP sources indicated that the ruling party is sticking to its view that Congress is not eligible to claim the LoP post as its tally is well short of 55 or 10% of the House strength.

No decision seems likely before Parliament meets again in early July as BJP managers are considering options like offering the deputy Speaker's post to parties like AIADMK rather than Congress.

Though BJP is taking a tough stance on the LoP's post, it may have to concede the chair of the Public Accounts Committee to Congress as the rules simply state that the post should go to the opposition party with the largest numbers.

With no clarity on the deputy Speaker's post or on the composition of various standing committees, opposition parties are still defining their relations with the government.

BJP leaders reacted sharply to Mishra's speech demanding that the ruling party spell out timelines for various promises, pointing out that Mayawati's party had hardly ever taken Congress to task.

During his intervention, finance minister Arun Jaitley said BSP should analyze its own performance, a dig at the party's failure to win a single seat in Uttar Pradesh.

NDA managers seem to realize that despite the opposition's diminished numbers, Parliament will remain a turbulent arena.

In Lok Sabha, leader of Congress Mallikarjuna Kharge stoutly defended the UPA's record, particularly its flagship schemes, saying the initiatives were pro-poor and well received. He said the schemes could be tweaked, but should not be scrapped.