Battle of the rooms: Lalu and (above) Mamata

New Delhi, Sept. 7: The hunt of Trinamul Congress for an office in Parliament has run into a tiny wall straddled by a towering man called Lalu Prasad.

With 26 MPs and the status of the ruling UPA’s biggest ally, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul is entitled to a better space. But Lalu, with a mere eight, is holding fort stoutly.

“Yeah room hum nahi khali karenge. Ladai karenge,” (We will not vacate this room. We will fight for it),” said a determined Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the RJD MP known for his high decibel intervention in the Lok Sabha.

As Parliament was adjourned today over the Delhi High Court blast, Lalu led his RJD MPs to meet Speaker Meira Kumar. He handed over a petition, argued aggressively and refused to vacate the room, sources said.

“Today I have just eight MPs but tomorrow I will have more MPs,” he reportedly told Meira Kumar in support of his demand for a bigger space.

The fight is over room number 129 on the third floor of Parliament. This fairly big room was allotted to the RJD during the UPA I when its strength was nearly equal to the Trinamul’s present strength. The room has been allotted to the Trinamul Congress now and the RJD has been given room number 125, a smaller one, commensurate to its reduced strength.

“We went yesterday to take possession of room number 129 under the impression that it was vacant. We found two members of the RJD and they did not appear to be in a mood to vacate the room. We will take up the issue with the Speaker again,” TMC MP and minister of state for health Sudip Bandopadhyay said. Around a dozen TMC MPs led by Sudip went to inspect the room.

The issue has put the government and the Speaker in a difficult position. They are caught up with another similar issue pertaining to the Telugu Desam Party. The southern party too is refusing to vacate the big room on the ground floor, now allotted to the DMK.

Parliament rules have it that a party with a minimum strength of seven MPs in both Houses of Parliament is entitled for a room. There are big and small rooms and they are allotted according to the strength of the parties. But it is not easy to go by the rulebook when it comes to dealing with politicians.

“Forcibly vacating rooms is not possible. It can only be done thorough understanding, adjustment and co-operation. What do you do when some one refuses to make way?” asked a Parliament official.

Till Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was in Delhi, Trinamul members did not bother about having a room as the railway minister’s chamber used to serve the purpose. Now, with Mamata gone and many MPs not having the best of relations with Dinesh Trivedi — Mamata’s successor in the railway ministry — they are frantically looking for a room.

Interestingly, RJD is using Trivedi’s room to make their case strong. “Trinamul has six-seven ministers and the railway minister’s room is strategically located. Apart from 129, RJD has no other room for its MPs to discharge their parliamentary duties”, the petition handed over to the Speaker said.

Moreover, Lalu is also taking up his case with the Trinamul, reminding them how he had vociferously backed them when Congress’s Ambika Soni had tried to get Trivedi’s room. “Now you people should help me,” Lalu reportedly told the Trinamul members.

In the past, room number 129 was allotted to Mayavati’s BSP. Lalu fought and succeeded in protecting the room.

“This is the second attack and we are sure Lalu will win again,” said an RJD MP.