The opposition demands that the prime minister responds to the debate and argues that he must break his silence. Other issues highlighted include the Delhi ordinance, the UCC, and inflation. However, the government asserts that it is prepared for a debate on every topic that the Chair permits within the parameters of the House rules.
In an all-party meeting on the eve of the monsoon session of Parliament on Wednesday, opposition parties made it clear to the government that they would not accept anything less than a thorough response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
They also demanded a debate on the ongoing violence in Manipur, calling it a “non-negotiable” demand.
As a response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi stated that the government was ready to talk about any topic that was allowed by the rules and accepted by the Speaker of each House of Parliament.
“Opposition parties have given many suggestions and our alliance leaders have also made a few recommendations. All parties have demanded a debate on Manipur. The government is ready to discuss all the issues following the rules and regulations and with the permission of the chair in both houses of Parliament,” Mr. Joshi said, at the conclusion of the meeting, which was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The government has 32 legislative measures planned for the session, he also informed the lawmakers. The gathering was attended by 44 leaders from 34 different parties.
“Just talking about Manipur won’t do it.” Jairam Ramesh, the chief whip for the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, told reporters that the Prime Minister must respond to the debate.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a member of his party in the Lok Sabha, announced that the Congress would introduce an adjournment motion on the matter on Thursday. “We plainly stated that two hands are required to clap.
The opposition’s concerns must be heard if the ruling party hopes to control Parliament. We have pressed for the right to voice any concerns,” Mr. Chowdhury stated.
The PM was urged to speak out about the violence in Manipur by a number of opposition groups, including those operating under the new INDIA banner and the Bharat Rashtra Party, in addition to the Congress.
P. Sandosh Kumar of the Communist Party of India pointed out that the topic had been discussed in the European Parliament during the conference.
“Our Prime Minister’s non-engagement with a State that is strategically located is astonishing,” he stated.
The Trinamool Congress Party did not attend the conference because it was a “waste of time” where “empty promises” were made by the government, according to Derek O’Brien, the party’s Rajya Sabha leader. Speaking to the media, he stated,
“Enough of Mann Ki Baat; the PM’s monthly radio address we want to hear Manipur Ki Baat. Furthermore, you will be charged with interrupting the Parliament if you don’t speak about Manipur. You don’t want Parliament to function, so you’re not interested in speaking about Manipur,” he said.
The parties in the INDIA bloc all agreed on the 1991 Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act. “Given that a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court is contemplating the ordinance, the administration needs to revoke it. All the INDIA parties discussed it,” according to Mr. Ramesh.
The cooperation of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YSR Congress is essential for the opposition to succeed in delaying the Bill that would replace this ordinance.
According to Sasmit Patra, the Rajya Sabha floor leader for the BJD, his party has not yet taken a position on the matter. The BJD encouraged the government to introduce the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill.
During the meeting, the BRS launched a scathing attack on the Central government for systematically dismantling the federal structure of the country. “I asked Rajnath Singh ji can you tell me if there is any provision in the Constitution that allows the Governor to dismiss a minister.
‘Either you do not know the Constitution and if you do, then what did you do about such a Governor’,” the BRS’ Rajya Sabha leader Keshav Rao told The Hindu.
The BRS and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) were at least two parties that questioned the Uniform Civil Code. Mr. Rao expressed disappointment that the Bill was not scheduled for the monsoon session despite the extensive debate of UCC.
He said that the government ought to present us with a draft Bill that would outline its clear intentions.
IUML leader E.T. Mohammed Basheer pleaded with the administration to hold off on passing such divisive legislation. “I urged the government to refrain from passing such a harmful and polarizing law. I sincerely hope they pay attention, ” he added.
The Opposition parties unanimously urged an organized debate on inflation, citing the growing costs of all essential goods and vegetables. According to a number of sources, the government will probably give in to this demand.
The opposition’s insistence on substantive responses from the government and their unified stand on key issues set the tone for a potentially eventful monsoon session where discussions on Manipur, other legislative matters, and economic concerns are expected to take center stage.
