In a pointed indictment delivered in Udaipur, CPI(M) stalwart Vrinda Karat has laid bare what she sees as the BJP’s authoritarian grip on parliamentary proceedings, especially concerning the secretive India-US trade framework and Kerala’s political future.
Karat didn’t mince words about Lok Sabha’s opposition bench. ‘Adequate speaking opportunities for the Leader of Opposition? Non-existent,’ she declared. The government’s agenda, she argued, confines debates to favorable terrains, dodging substantive national discourse.
The broader malaise afflicting Parliament drew her ire. ‘House dignity suffers from procedural decay,’ Karat observed. She cataloged offenses: truncated calendars, bullied panels, bill rushes sans debate—all eroding legislative integrity.
Trade talks with America emerged as exhibit A in her critique. Deeming the prospective accord ‘unbalanced,’ Karat slammed the veil of secrecy. Revelations via foreign leaders’ remarks, not domestic briefings, define public knowledge. ‘Trump speaks; our ministers equivocate,’ she noted, referencing Goyal’s vague joint statement promise.
Full public airing of tariff pacts and beyond remains elusive. ‘Why hide negotiation realities from the people?’ Karat challenged, framing it as a breach of democratic trust.
Contrastingly buoyant on Kerala polls, Karat touted LDF governance milestones. Consecutive terms yielded tangible welfare gains. ‘Satisfactory performance could deliver a hat-trick,’ she envisioned, banking on policy-driven voter choices.
Karat’s salvo arrives at a pivotal juncture, intertwining parliamentary reform calls with trade skepticism and state electoral stakes. It signals deepening rifts in India’s power corridors.