Kharge on demand for PM Modi's statement on Manipur: 'Amit Shah can't get all…'
Opposition leader alleges government stifling their voices over Manipur issue, seeks PM Modi's statement.
Amid continued disruptions in Parliament over the Manipur issue, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday alleged that the government is stifling their voices. Kharge said that they are seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the matter because certain crucial information is only available to him, not Union home minister Amit Shah.
"This is not the only question of the home minister (being present), those things that are the subject of the prime minister, those information he gets, the home minister can't get that. There is a limitation in it," the Congress president said at a joint presser in the Parliament complex.
Sharpening his attack on Modi, Kharge accused the prime minister of avoiding a statement on the Manipur issue and not speaking in Parliament. "The government is trying to create confusion that the Opposition is not ready to discuss the issue, but we are waiting for the past 11 days to discuss this issue," he added.
"The PM has been visiting (different) states, but not coming to Parliament. He is making election speeches, but he is not ready to give a small statement in the House on Manipur issue," said the Congress president.
Previously, PM Modi condemned the incident of two women being stripped and paraded in Manipur, vowing that the "culprits involved in this heinous act would not be spared".
Rule 176 vs Rule 267: Government and Opposition lock horns over the duration of the debate
On Monday, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated that the government agreed to discuss the Manipur violence in Parliament but the Opposition was not allowing it.
However, the Opposition insists on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the issue and a detailed discussion under rule 267. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected this demand, citing precedence from 2014, and allocated two-and-a-half hours for discussion under Rule 176 of Rajya Sabha.
Kharge said that under Rule 176, only 2-2:30 hours can be allotted for the discussion and for such a big matter like Manipur that was not enough.
Meanwhile, Kharge has sought an appointment from President Droupadi Murmu for a meeting to raise the Manipur issue. He will lead a 21-member delegation of floor leaders from I.N.D.I.A to meet the president.