‘Ready for discussion on Manipur, but Oppn…’ : Amit Shah amid Parl impasse

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged Opposition members to allow a discussion on the Manipur situation.

Union home minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on Monday that he was prepared for a debate on the violence in Manipur and urged Opposition leaders to allow a discussion on the issue as the second week of the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament opened to yet another day jammed with disruptions.

Union home minister Amit Shah speaking in the Lok Sabha. (PTI)

In a brief statement in the Lok Sabha during the post-lunch session, Shah said there were requests from both the ruling and Opposition members for a discussion on Manipur, where at least 150 people have died in ethnic violence since May.

“I am ready for a discussion in the House. I do not know why the opposition does not want to allow a discussion. It is my appeal to the opposition leaders to allow a discussion on this important issue and let the truth on the matter be placed before the nation. It is very important,” the minister said.

A 30-second clip detailing the brutal sexual assault of two Kuki women by a mob that stripped them and paraded them naked on May 4 in Manipur surfaced last week and sparked a nationwide outcry. Since the session opened on May 20, it has been marred by disruptions with Opposition leaders demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who spoke outside Parliament and said he was pained and angry by the video – speak in the House.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged Opposition members to allow a discussion on the Manipur situation.

“The minister of the department concerned takes part in the debate. To ask for new traditions to be set and not allow the House to function in a planned manner is not in the national interest,” the Speaker said.

But the Opposition didn’t budge, with several members raising slogans in the Well of the House, demanding discussion on the situation in Manipur. The House was finally adjourned at 2pm. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the PM speak on the Manipur issue inside the House.

“The Parliament is underway. It is your (PM) duty to first inform the Parliament members then the public. Suppose, if Parliament was not there, session was not there, you (PM) could have spoken outside… but on the door of the Parliament, you must speak,” he said.

Since the session began, the government has insisted that the home minister will speak on Manipur in Parliament, and not the PM.

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, who is also deputy leader of the Lok Sabha, said that the government is ready for a discussion in Parliament. “Manipur incident is most definitely a very serious matter and sensing the gravity of the situation, the PM himself has said that what happened in the state has put the entire nation to shame,” he said.

Addressing reporters outside Parliament on the first day of the monsoon session, the prime minister had expressed “pain and anger” over the incident of two women being sexually assaulted.

“Today, as I stand among you in the temple of democracy, my heart is filled with sorrow and anger over the incident in Manipur. This incident is a shameful act for any civilised society. The perpetrators of this sin, the wrongdoers, whoever they are, how many there were, that is to one side. But, the entire nation is feeling ashamed,” Modi said, speaking on the ethnic violence in Manipur between the dominant Meitei and tribal Kuki communities that has killed at least 150 people and displaced another 50,000.

Modi said that 1.4 billion people were feeling embarrassed and appealed to all chief ministers to strengthen law and order in the states, and take stringent steps to ensure the safety and protection of women.

“Whether the incident happens in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, or Manipur, in any corner of India, in any state government, rising above political disputes and maintaining the significance of the rule of law and the respect for women is crucial. I want to assure the citizens of this country that no wrongdoer will be spared. Every step will be taken to ensure law forcefully with all its might,” he added.

But the Opposition has stuck to its demand that the PM respond to the situation inside the House.

Later in the day, Union minister Smriti Irani said that the Congress is “running away” from the discussion while the government is ready to hold talks in both Houses. “Amit Shah ji, today appealed to all the members of the Opposition to initiate a debate or discussion on the issue of affliction in the state of Manipur. Amit Shah ji has repeatedly said that we are ready for the discussion in both Houses of the Parliament, but the Opposition is running away from discussion on Manipur...,” she said.

Trinamool Congress’s Abhishek Banerjee said that the government was , “You (the government) spent ₹1,500 crore to build a new Parliament building but don’t want to discuss any issue.” The monsoon session began on a stormy note, bringing back memories of the previous session that was washed out due to a deadlock between the government and the Opposition. All parties and parliamentary authorities should ensure that the crucial work of Parliament – deliberation on the laws that govern India and discussion on critical issues – is not disrupted, and find ways to bridge the trust deficit between the treasury and opposition benches.