(Image source from: Why Congress will lie low in Parliamentary})

The Congress is strategising its role as the first Parliament session is set to begin on July 7. The Narendra Modi government will present its first budget in this session of parliament and the Congress is contemplating on the level of opposition it should launch.

The Congress has already attacked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over issues like rail fares hike, rape charges against BJP minister Nihal Chand, rising inflation and power crisis in Delhi. The educational qualifications of Human Resource Development minister Smriti Irani was also brought up by the Congress. But none of the issues seemed to make an impression on the people.

This is due to the low credibility of the Congress party as the electorate continues to indulge the NDA. The people are not ready to judge the new government on its performance as they want to give time and space to the ruling alliance for now.

Keeping these points in mind, a section of Congress leaders want the party to lie low for six months at least, before attacking the NDA government over its performance. Some senior leaders suggested that the time should be utilised to put its own house in order, instead of going for an all out attack.

According to a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, the opposition to NDA government’s unpopular decisions should come first from the people. Narendra Modi has record (seen in Gujarat) of taking unpopular decisions and he's doing the same at the Centre, he added. Mr Modi is taking tough measures while he still has the people's favour, he further added.

Another Congress leader said that it was too early to start opposing the Modi government. But going by the increase in price of petrol and diesel, steep hike in rail fares, spurt in prices of sugar and onion, the people will soon get disillusioned with the NDA alliance.

The Congress feels that the scant monsoon will add to the woes of the Modi government.

Speaking from experience, the Congress said that people were so miffed with their government by the end of UPA-II that they didn't even want to listen to its achievements.

It was the people's anger that defeated the Congress and not the BJP, said a senior Congress leader.

However, another section in the Congress favours immediate action to capture the opposition space. They feel that the party should not wait for people's mood to change, rather it should raise issues at the earliest.

The party cannot afford to wait and watch for the people to turn in its favour, said a senior Congress leader, who favours the role of an effective opposition for the party.

A former UPA minister feels that the Congress has to be the voice of the people.

Assembly elections in Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra scheduled for this this year gives an opportunity to the Congress to shift attention to the failures of the central government rather than the anti-incumbency factors in its state governments.

In Delhi, congress leaders have led a series of demonstrations over the power crisis. While in Rajasthan, party worker have taken to the streets demanding the removal of Nihal Chand from the council of ministers. Besides the Congress is likely to take on the Modi government in the Budget session of Parliament.

However, the BJP-led NDA government cannot be perturbed by Congress attacks, as it has a massive majority in the Lok Sabha and also there is no unity among the Opposition parties.

Besides, the Congress has a mere 44 members strength, which cannot cause much trouble to the government. The rank and file of the Congress is yet to come up with a roadmap for the future following its debacle in the recent general elections.

Unwarranted statements by senior Congress leaders have added to the confusion of party cadres, who remain demoralised.

AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh in a recent interview infamously said that Rahul Gandhi is not a ruler by temperament to a television channel. Later he clarified, but the damage was done.

Former defence minister A K Antony made a similar guffaw by saying that the party's approach to secularism were questioned leading to its electoral loss.

These statements relating to Congress leadership and ideology shows that the party is not yet prepared to battle it out with the Modi government.

(Picture Source: s.wsj.net)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)