Opposition Leaders To Meet Rajya Sabha LoP On Tuesday Amid Logjam In Parliament Over Manipur

New Delhi: Floor leaders of the newly formed Opposition alliance the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) will meet at the office of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament on Tuesday to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House. The meeting of the floor leaders will be held at 10 am on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha faced adjournments for the third consecutive day.

The situation in Manipur dominated the proceedings of the third day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which began on Thursday, with the Opposition demanding the Centre to discuss the issue. The Congress and opposition leaders are demanding a statement from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon session.

Govt Ready For Debate On Manipur: Shah

 

As the logjam in Parliament persisted for the third day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asked the opposition to allow a debate on the Manipur issue to begin but both sides stood rigid on their stand while AAP MP Sanjay Sanjay Singh was suspended during the uproar in the Upper House for the rest of the monsoon session. Relentless protests from opposition members, who insisted on a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi before any debate, marred the proceedings in both Houses while charges and counter-charges flew thick and fast outside Parliament.

Govt Scared Of Debate On Manipur: Congress

 

The Congress alleged that the prime minister was "scared" of a discussion in Parliament, but the BJP claimed the opposition was running away as it does not want certain facts to come to the fore. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, one of the more vocal voices in Rajya Sabha, was suspended for repeatedly "violating" the directives of the Chair after he rushed to the well of the House and pointed at the Chair during protest by opposition members on the Manipur issue.

Moving a motion for Singh's suspension that was adopted by voice vote, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said such behaviour was not acceptable as the member was disturbing the House and was disregarding its ethics and rules. Prior to that, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar named Singh for his "unruly behaviour" and cautioned him.

Revoke Suspension Of Sanjay Singh: Oppn

 

Opposition parties condemned the action against Singh and accused the government of trying to throttle their voice. Sanjay Singh, however, remained inside the Rajya Sabha chamber as a mark of protest, and moved out after the house was adjourned for the day. He then sat on a protest before the Gandhi statue along with other opposition MPs.

Leaders of various parties urged the chairman to reconsider his decision and revoke the suspension. The RS Chairman later met the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and discussed the way forward to break the deadlock on both sides.

Govt Vs Oppsotion In Parliament

 

Protests ruled the day inside both Houses despite attempts by Dhankhar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to end the impasse. Since the session began on July 20, little work has been done in Parliament. Opposition members have seized on the viral video of two women stripped and paraded by a mob from another community in the violence-hit state to corner the government.

While the government has expressed its willingness to a debate on the situation in the BJP-ruled state, the opposition has made a statement from Modi a precondition for any discussion on the issue. As slogan-shouting by opposition members in Lok Sabha, many of whom were in the well of House, continued, Shah spoke briefly, questioning their intent despite his willingness to debate. The government has said that the Home Minister will reply to any such debate on the Manipur issue.

"I am willing for discussion in Lok Sabha on the situation in Manipur but do not know why the opposition does not want it," Shah said. He said opposition leaders should allow a debate, saying it was important for the truth to come out before the country on the Manipur issue.

As opposition members continued their protest, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings for the day. The MPs of the BJP as well as the Opposition staged protests near the Mahatma Gandhi statue to highlight their demands.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, Union Minister Smriti Irani said, "When the Home Minister is asking them to come and discuss, what are the facts of Manipur violence that the Congress wants to hide." “What is it that the opposition doesn't want the country to know? Why is the opposition running away from the truth of Manipur,” she added.

Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Gaurav Gogoi accused the BJP of "shielding" the prime minister from speaking inside Parliament and treating the Manipur crisis as an ordinary law-and-order issue. "We want a substantive and exhaustive debate on Manipur in Parliament. The prime minister is running away from scrutiny by members of opposition parties and is scared of a debate on Manipur in Parliament," Gogoi told reporters.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused PM Modi of insulting Parliament by choosing to speak on the Manipur issue not inside the House but outside. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said parliament did not function for the third day because of the "continued refusal of the Modi Government to accept the demand of INDIA parties for a comprehensive statement by the Prime Minister in the House on the post-May 3rd situation in Manipur to be followed by a discussion".

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi earlier accused opposition members of deliberately scuttling a discussion on the sensitive issue. BJP members also raised the issue of attacks on women, including the victims being disrobed and raped, in states like West Bengal and Rajasthan to get back at opposition parties. "The opposition should not make excuses. The PM has already made a statement on Manipur with sensitivity and firmness ahead of the session. It is wrong that we don't start the discussion at all by making an excuse in the name of PM," Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said.

With the BJP parliamentary party holding its weekly meeting on Tuesday, its senior leaders, including PM Modi, may speak on the ongoing logjam. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP sources said, has spoken to opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress and DMK leader T R Baalu, in an attempt to break the impasse but in vain. 

Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar also held a meeting with opposition leaders from the Upper House, including Jairam Ramesh, BRS' K Keshava Rao, BJD's Sasmit Patra and AAP's Raghav Chadha, in this regard as well. Sources said the meeting ended within minutes, as the opposition walked out and said they were "boycotting it".

The sources said the meeting was convened at 1 PM, but the chairman said it will be reconvened as floor leaders of parties were not present and other leaders were. In Lok Sabha, the government succeeded in transacting some legislative business amid uproar, with three Bills introduced and one withdrawn.

While the government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, it introduced the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023.