Tezzbuzz Desk- The monsoon session of Parliament ended on Thursday and the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned indefinitely. After the conclusion of the session, a traditional tea party was organized by the Lok Sabha Speaker. Many NDA leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh participated in this program, but many prominent leaders of Congress and Opposition maintained distance from it.
Many opposition floor leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, did not attend the tea party. According to Congress sources, this time no traditional address was made by the Speaker and no information was shared regarding the proceedings of the House. For this reason the opposition decided to boycott the program.
The tea party organized by the Speaker after the conclusion of the Parliament session is considered a traditional event. Its objective is to maintain an atmosphere of dialogue and harmony despite political differences between the ruling party and the opposition. Usually it involves prominent leaders of both the parties.
This time there was talk from the opposition about sending Priyanka Gandhi to the program first. Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were also expected to attend it, but ultimately the opposition collectively distanced itself from it.
Then why did Kanimozhi reach there?
The biggest discussion was about DMK MP Kanimozhi joining the tea party. When many opposition leaders including Congress stayed away from the program, Kanimozhi's arrival is considered politically important.
Many political reasons are being seen behind this. Prominent among these are the interests of South India, the proposed delimitation and the issue of representation of the states in Parliament. DMK has been continuously expressing its concerns regarding the interests and political representation of Tamil Nadu regarding delimitation.
In such a situation, it may be strategically important for DMK to keep the path of communication open with the ruling party and the Lok Sabha Speaker. The party's stance has been that delimitation should be such that the representation of South Indian states like Tamil Nadu in Parliament is not weakened.
Kanimozhi's joining the tea party is being considered an indication of the politics of this dialogue. This does not mean that DMK is supporting the government's stand on the delimitation issue. Rather, the party wants to maintain the path of dialogue with the ruling party and people holding constitutional positions to safeguard its interests.
That is, on one hand, Congress and the opposition boycotted the Tea Party to register their protest, while on the other hand, Kanimozhi's presence is being linked to DMK's different political strategy and the interests of Tamil Nadu.