Amid the nationwide uproar over the Manipur crisis, the Opposition alliance, INDIA, showcased a united front both inside and outside Parliament and decided to hold overnight protests in Parliament complex.
Staging a dharna in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on the Parliament premises, the Opposition parties demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Manipur.
The Government appealed to the Opposition to allow discussions on the issue to shed light on the reality, but the Opposition insisted on the Prime Minister’s statement. In the midst of this, AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh faced suspension for the remaining period of the Monsoon Session after unruly scenes by a few members and yelling by TMC member Derek O’Brien. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar condemned the behaviour and warned against challenging the Chair.
With placards reading “INDIA for Manipur” and “INDIA demands PM’s statement on Manipur”, the Opposition parties stood united in their demand for the Prime Minister’s response. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, along with MPs from TMC, AAP, JDU, RJD, Left, Shiv Sena, and others, joined in the protest and raised slogans against the Government.
In a show of solidarity for Sanjay Singh, the Opposition decided to continue their protest overnight at Parliament. This marks the second time in a year when Opposition members have protested overnight, with the last instance being when six Rajya Sabha members were suspended in the last Monsoon Session.
The protest had been planned during the Opposition’s strategy meeting on Friday and again on Monday. The suspension of Singh served as an immediate provocation.
At the same time, members of the ruling party, Rajasthan BJP MPs, also staged a protest in front of Gandhi’s statue, highlighting the rising atrocities and crimes against women in the desert State, which is governed by Ashok Gehlot’s Congress Government, with elections scheduled for later this year. Diya Kumari, BJP MP from Rajsamand, defended their protest, stating, “We are not indulging in whataboutery... is Rajasthan not as important as Manipur?”
Union Ministers, led by Amit Shah, both inside and outside Parliament, stated that the Prime Minister had already expressed his remarks and sentiments on the issue, so there was no point in stalling the discussion in Parliament.
However, the INDIA group of Opposition members insisted that a discussion on the issue could only take place after PM Modi’s statement.
“I am ready for discussion on this in the House. I request the Opposition to let a discussion take place on this issue. It is important that the country gets to know the truth on this sensitive matter,” Shah said in Lok Sabha. In an apparent reference to the Opposition’s demand for the Prime Minister’s statement in the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla clarified that the Home Minister would be participating in the discussion, indicating that it was not necessary for the PM to be present when the Home Minister was there.
The Congress termed Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the Government was ready for a discussion on Manipur in Parliament as “a desperate bid to manage headlines.” Congress chief spokesman and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh staid, “In a desperate bid to manage headlines, the Home Minister today said that the Modi Government is ready for a discussion on Manipur in Parliament. He is not doing anybody any special favour. The perfectly democratic and legitimate demand of the parties comprising INDIA is for a statement by the Prime Minister on the Manipur situation first, followed by a discussion. HM is totally silent on this. What is the hesitation in getting PM to speak inside Parliament first?”
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly spoke to three Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and DMK’s T R Baalu, in an attempt to break the stalemate in Parliament.
Union Minister Smriti Irani criticized the Congress, stating, “Congress is running away from discussion on Manipur as they know they will have to answer on crimes against women in their States, but I want to appeal that they stop using crime against women as instruments to settle political scores.”
Rajya Sabha member and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal voiced his concerns, saying, “Parliament is dysfunctional because the Prime Minister is scared of directly facing questions. He refuses to enter the House of which he is an elected leader. Manipur is in the middle of a civil war, but the PM is hiding behind his subordinates. The entire nation is seething because he has allowed this crisis to spiral out of control, and his silence is beyond shameful at a time of such death and destruction.”
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan alleged that the Government didn’t want any discussion on the Manipur issue in Parliament and instead is choosing to focus on what is happening in strong Opposition-ruled States.
The third day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session witnessed chaos, disruptions, sloganeering, and adjournments as both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha failed to function despite several rounds of resumptions. Several bills were tabled in the Lower House, but no discussion could take place as the Opposition remained firm on its demand for PM Modi’s statement on the viral video incident in Manipur.
