New Delhi: Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned following protests by opposition parties over Manipur issue.
The Rajya Sabha faced another adjournment on Tuesday with the Opposition continuing its protests over its demands over the debate on Manipur violence. The protests started soon after the papers were laid on the table of the House after it assembled for the day at 11 am. The Opposition has been adamant on its demand seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the Manipur violence and a detailed discussion on the issue under rule 267.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected Opposition’s demand for Prime Minister’s statement and cited a precedence of 2014. Dhankhar said he met floor leaders and two-and-half hours had been allocated for discussion on Manipur violence.
As the Chairman declined notices received from the Opposition, they resorted to sloganeering and protests. Amid the din, the Chairman announced adjournment of the House. Lok Sabha also witnessed protests from opposition members during Question Hour and was later adjourned. Since the start of the Monsoon Session on July 20, both Houses of Parliament have seen repeated disruptions and adjournments over the Manipur issue, with the Opposition adamant on a debate and statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday said the atrocities on women in the Manipur violence cannot be excused merely because similar incidents had been reported from other states like Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
“We will deal with it later. But here, we are dealing with something which is unprecedented violence relating to communal and sectarian strife, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said.
The Chief Justice was responding to Bansuri Swaraj, advocate and daughter of the late BJP leader and Union minister Sushma Swaraj.
Bansuri’s clients wanted the top court to expand the scope of the present suo motu hearing on the Manipur violence to include similar crimes committed against women in Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Bansuri said: “I am seeking pan-India relief for women. They are all daughters of India.”
Meanwhile, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tore into the opposition today over not letting parliament function by “changing goal posts” over the Manipur crisis.
She said the government has agreed to discuss the Manipur ethnic violence in parliament, but the opposition has not allowed that to happen.
“People have come to Manipur, spoken to people there and come back. We want to hear what they heard from people in Manipur,” Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters.
