New Delhi: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said on Wednesday that the Rajya Sabha secretariat had disallowed a question from him on whether the Chinese have crossed the line of actual control (LAC) in Ladakh by citing ‘national interest’.
“It is hilarious if not tragic for [the] Rajya Sabha Secretariat to inform me today that my question [on] whether the Chinese have crossed the LAC in Ladakh, cannot be allowed, ‘ because of national interest’ !!!,” Swamy said in a tweet.
It is hilarious if not tragic for Rajya Sabha Secretariat to inform me today that my Question whether the Chinese have crossed the LAC in Ladakh, cannot be allowed “ because of national interest”!!!
Advertisement— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) December 1, 2021
A senior official of the Rajya Sabha secretariat told news agency PTI that the secretariat goes by the recommendation of the ministry concerned if sensitive issues are involved. He said this has been the convention for a long time.
The issue has also been raised by the opposition ever since the Indian and Chinese armies clashed in June last year. This was the worst clash between the two armies in over 50 years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had during an all-party meeting on the issue last year stated that no one had entered India nor has occupied its territory. This contradicted the government’s earlier stance that the Chinese sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on “our side of the LAC”. These remarks were part of a press note issued after external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi after the June 2020 clash.
The opposition has been attacking the prime minister and his government over the Indo-China face off at the border and has demanded action against the Chinese.
In the monsoon session of parliament, the Rajya Sabha secretariat had disallowed a question on Pegasus by Communist Party of India MP Binoy Viswam that was provisionally admitted. This came after the government cited a rule which said that questions involving sub judice issues are not admissible. However, experts noted that there are precedents in both houses of parliament when sub judice issues were taken up without going into the merits or other points which are subject matters of adjudication.
(With PTI inputs)
