The Rajya Sabha initiated a short-duration discussion on the conflict-ridden northeastern state, but the opposition rose up in protest to demand a detailed debate and PM Modi’s presence in the House.
After repeated disruptions, Vice presidentJagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the Rajya Sabha till August 11.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday heard a plea by the two women who were seen in a video being paraded naked in strife-torn Manipur. The apex court slammed the state police for laxity in probing the May 4 incident and demanded details about the case from the state government.
Here are the top developments through the day:
INDIA leaders likely to meet President soon
Congress said Leader of Opposition of Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge will lead INDIA alliance floor leaders and a 21 MP-delegation to meet the President of India and raise the issue of Manipur.
Further, INDIA parties floor leaders will meet on Tuesday at 10am in the office of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha in Parliament to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House.
Want a full-fledged discussion, PM must be present: Opposition MPs
Slamming the Centre for trying to initiate a short-term discussion, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala said that 68 MPs had given notices for a discussion on Manipur but the government “was running away from it”.
“They (govt) want a discussion but one that should not last not more than an hour and the opposition should not speak during it … The PM will have to come to the House and speak on the issue,” said Surjewala.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh dismissed BJP MP Nirmala Sitharaman’s accusations that the opposition was constantly “changing the goalpost” in terms of the debate on Manipur.
“The INDIA parties have stuck to their position in the Rajya Sabha this afternoon,” tweeted Ramesh while listing the demands made by the alliance.
Refuting allegations by the BJP that the opposition has no intention of debating the Manipur issue, TMC MP Derek O’ Brien said: “The parties have been asking for a discussion on Manipur. It’s a very serious issue. We all are ready to discuss Manipur … Pandit Nehru came and spoke in Rajya Sabha on serious subjects and participated in debate. Atal Bihari Vajpayee came and discussed in Rajya Sabha. Dr. Manmohan Singh also participated and even Rajiv Gandhi came and discussed Bofors in Rajya Sabha. We don’t want a two-hour discussion on Manipur. We want a full-fledged discussion under an emergency rule.”
TMC MP Sushmita Dev said the opposition parties’ MP want the PM to speak in Parliament. “The PM should at least be present there to listen to discussion on Manipur. Otherwise, it will be an insult to the people of Manipur,” she added.
Opposition not concerned about Manipur: Sitharaman
BJP MP Nirmala Sitharaman accused the opposition of having a “mindset as black as the clothes they wore” and of not being “concerned about Manipur”.
“Opposition doesn’t want to participate in the discussion on the Manipur issue. Today, when this issue was taken up in the Parliament, the opposition ran away from the discussion. I am saddened by the behaviour of the opposition. Manipur is just a political issue for them (Opposition). Today, it was proved that they were just shedding crocodile tears on the Manipur issue. If they genuinely cared, then they would have discussed it,” said Sitharaman.
Talking to reporters, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, flanked with BJP MPs from the northeast region, said: “Again today, the opposition doesn’t want this discussion to take place. There must be some reason why they are running away from a discussion.”
Slamming the opposition for creating a ruckus, MP S Jaishankar said: “If you claim to be INDIA, and you are not ready to listen to Indian national interest, what kind of INDIA are you?”
Violence of unprecedented magnitude: SC
A batch of pleas pertaining to the Manipur violence was heard by a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra on Monday, and the court questioned why the FIR was registered on May 18 when the incident happened on May 4.
The court pulled up the Manipur police over the delay in filing of the FIR in the horrific video incident and termed the violence against women in the state as “horrendous”. “The women shown in Manipur video were handed over to rioting crowd by police, this is horrendous,” the court said.
CJI Chandrachud said that violence against women in Manipur is something that is of “an unprecedented magnitude”.
The top court also said that merely entrusting the matter to CBI and SIT would not be enough and there is a need to ensure that the process of justice goes to the survivor’s doorstep.
Short-duration discussion on Manipur in Rajya Sabha
After nearly two weeks of parliamentary disruptions by the opposition parties demanding a detailed debate on the worsening law and order situation in Manipur, a short-duration discussion on issues connected with the conflict-ridden northeastern state was initiated in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called upon Assam MP Birendra Prasad Baishya to initiate discussion on the violence in Manipur under Rule 176. The opposition has demanded that the debate be undertaken under Rule 267 (suspend all business before initiating discussion).
However, the opposition objected to the short duration discussion and the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned till 2.30pm. The opposition has demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a detailed debate on the matter.
A 21-member delegation of the opposition bloc, INDIA, recently returned from a two-day visit to Manipur and noted the deplorable condition of the relief camps that have been set up for those affected by the violence.
Unusual spectacle: Dhankar
Once the Upper House resumed proceedings at 2.30pm, Dhankhar noted that it was an “unusual spectacle … now when there is time for discussion on Manipur, the House is unable to debate”. As the House erupted in an uproar, the Rajya Sabha chairman said notices will be sent to the leaders of the House to “find a way out.
He then adjourned the Rajya Sabha till 3.30 pm.
Dhankar met opposition leaders, including Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, in his chamber to end the impasse. But once the proceedings resumed at 3.30pm, opposition parties again launched a protest.
Appealing to MPs to take a seat, the RS chairman said: “The entire nation is watching, we are not setting a good example.”
Following this, parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi reiterated that the Centre was ready to debate the Manipur issue and that home minister Amit Shah was willing to make a statement.
The opposition, however, continued to demand PM Modi’s presence in Parliament and the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till August 1 11am.
West Bengal assembly passes motion condemning Manipur violence
The West Bengal assembly on Monday passed a motion condemning the violence in Manipur, amid opposition by the BJP.
Speaking on the motion, chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the role of the BJP and the Union government in tackling the situation in the strife-torn state.
“The Prime Minister should make a statement on Manipur. It is a matter of shame that the PM can go on foreign trips, but can’t go to Manipur,” she said.
Banerjee said, “If the PM is unable to restore peace in Manipur, then let us (INDIA) be allowed to restore peace.”
Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, said, “The discussion is illegal as the matter is sub-judice.”
The BJP, which participated in the discussion, staged a walkout after the CM’s speech.
(With inputs from agencies)
