The Congress party appears to be warming up to the Trinamool Congress ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, with power circles abuzz with a possible change of guard in the Lok Sabha. It has been reported that the party may replace incumbent Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury with Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi as Leader of the Congress in the Lower House.
The move is being seen as an effort by the Congress to woo Mamata Banerjee as Chowdhury has been heavily critical of the TMC and its leadership. He had fiercely attacked Banerjee during the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal.
Media reports suggest that Rahul Gandhi is the top contender for the post but he is yet to confirm his willingness to take on the job. While Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are keen on persuading Rahul, Sonia may take up the responsibility if Rahul fails.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been loyal to the Gandhi family and is among the staunchest critics of the G-23 group of Congress dissenters. The Bengal MP is also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
While Chowdhury has been critical of Mamata Banerjee, the top party leadership had largely refrained from attacking Banerjee and even welcomed the TMC’s victory over the BJP.
According to reports, by removing Chowdhury, the Congress wants to ensure smooth floor coordination in the lower house.
Besides Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, some other names in the race include Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari.
On the other hand, a senior Congress leader told PTI that the news of a change of leadership of the party in the Lok Sabha is premature and unfounded.
The Monsoon session of Parliament is scheduled to start from July 19.