In the latest rejig of the parliamentary standing committees, the government has conveyed to Congress that it will not get the chairmanship of the committee on Home Affairs. As per sources, the Trinamool Congress is also likely to lose chairmanship of the lone committee it had.
Protesting against the move, the Congress has written to the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal, reminding him that traditionally chairpersons of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs have been from the principal Opposition party.
According to sources, Mr. Goyal, on September 16, phoned Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, informing him that considering the Congress’s depleted ranks in the Upper House, it can only be allotted chairmanship of a single committee. The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs would be picked from another Opposition party. The Congress’s strength in the Rajya Sabha is now down to 31, from 34 in March.
