New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah told parliament on Tuesday, July 25, that he has written a letter to the leaders of opposition in both houses of parliament urging them to “cooperate” in conducting a discussion on Manipur, as opposition parties continue to demand a statement from Prime Minister Modi.
Shah’s statement comes as reports suggest that opposition parties may move a no-confidence motion in parliament on Wednesday.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha while presenting the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, Shah said that he had written a letter urging opposition parties to create an atmosphere conducive to a discussion on Manipur.
“Those who are chanting slogans are not interested to cooperate or in cooperation. Neither are they interested in the welfare of Dalits or women,” said Shah as opposition members continued to raise slogans demanding Modi’s statement on the floor of the house.
“I have written to leaders of opposition in both houses of parliament that I am ready for a discussion for as many hours as required. The government has nothing to hide about Manipur. Those who want to discuss can come to discuss. The country is watching us. I urge them to make a conducive environment for discussion on Manipur in parliament,” he said.
While the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was passed in Lok Sabha without discussion, opposition MPs raised slogans through the proceedings, holding banners that read “Save Manipur” and calling for Prime Minister Modi to address the house.
Later, Shah tweeted a copy of the letter and said that he has urged both Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, to “rise above party lines” and “cooperate” on this important issue.
Manipur has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May 3, in which over 150 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced.
‘Home minister in denial
The opposition has said that despite Shah’s claims that the government is ready for a discussion, they will only accept a statement from Modi.
“The home minister is in denial,” TMC MP Sushmita Dev told The Wire.
“When the all-party meeting took place, all parties attended and cooperated with him when he gave many assurances on Manipur.”
She said that the opposition parties heard him but it “culminated in nothing”. Dev said, “He should accede to the point and to us that the situation is escalating in Manipur and now it is only for the PM to speak on the issue and tell us what he thinks is the way forward and how he can explain the fact that it is his party’s government in power in Manipur.”
The Wire has also reached out to the Congress for a comment on Shah’s letter and statement. This report will be updated once a response is received.
The first four days of the monsoon session have seen the opposition staying firm on its demand for a statement by Modi inside the House and a discussion under Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha’s ‘Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business’.
The government, on the other hand, has only agreed to a short-term discussion under Rule 127.
While Modi did come to parliament on Tuesday, he only attended the BJP parliamentary party meeting, where he lashed out at the INDIA alliance of 26 opposition parties.
“From the opposition’s conduct, it seems that they have decided to remain in the opposition. We have to work in the interest of the public and move forward,” Modi was quoted as saying at the meeting by the news agency ANI.
Later, former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said outside parliament that the prime minister had compared the INDIA alliance with the East India Company. “PM Modi has said that the Indian National Congress, East India Company were both founded by a foreign national,” he said.
“Today people are also using names like Indian Mujahideen and Indian People’s Front. They may show their face as something but the truth could be something else.”
‘Diverting attention’
Kharge accused Modi of attempting to divert attention and asked him to come speak in parliament.
“Manipur is burning. Women are getting raped. We are talking about Manipur. But the prime minister is talking about the East India Company. He is saying INDIA means East India Company,” Kharge said in Rajya Sabha.
“Stop diverting the attention of the country and speak about Manipur in parliament,” he added.
File photo of Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha. Photo: PTI
Later on Tuesday afternoon, opposition MPs staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that the treasury benches continued to disrupt Kharge while he was trying to speak.
Addressing reporters outside parliament in a joint press conference, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha said, “When LoP Mallikarjun Kharge was speaking, ruling BJP MPs started shouting. This shows that BJP wants to hide the atrocities in Manipur.”
Tuesday also saw the passage of two bills in the Lok Sabha by voice notes amid loud protests from the opposition: the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Biological Diversity (Amendment Bill), 2021.
In the Rajya Sabha, a discussion was conducted on the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022.