NEW DELHI, 3 Aug: The stalemate in Parliament over Manipur persisted on Thursday, even as union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi reached out to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition leaders to break the logjam in the Rajya Sabha.
The over half-an-hour meeting between the opposition parties and the government, however, remained inconclusive.
The opposition in the Rajya Sabha has stuck to its demand for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both Houses of Parliament, followed by a comprehensive discussion, even though sources said it has relented on its stand for holding such discussion under Rule 267.
But the government has refused to agree to the demand for a statement by the prime minister. It has, however, said that union Home Minister Amit Shah will make a statement on Manipur.
Leader of the Rajya Sabha Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi met with Kharge, the leader of opposition in the Upper House after opposition alliance INDIA skipped a meeting convened by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to ensure smooth functioning of the House.
During the meeting, leaders of the INDIA bloc suggested that an unhindered discussion on Manipur should be initiated in the Rajya Sabha without any time limitation to help end the impasse.
Government sources said there is division in the opposition ranks and some MPs want a discussion to begin any which way, whether the prime minister replies or the home minister, but opposition leaders said their demand for the prime minister’s statement is “non-negotiable.”
“The opposition is not particular on the rule under which a discussion on Manipur should be held, but it should be a full-fledged discussion without any time restraints,” an opposition leader said.
“INDIA parties have offered a middle-path solution to the leader of the House to break the logjam and get a discussion on Manipur going in an uninterrupted manner in the Rajya Sabha. Hope the Modi government agrees,” Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha and party general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted after the meeting.
Sources said that the opposition parties are proposing a discussion neither under Rule 267 or Rule 176 but under a different rule to which both sides agree.
Another opposition leader said that the MPs want to tell the story of Manipur after their visit there and want the country to know what is happening in the state.
“It is not about ego but the prime minister must speak on Manipur and about the people of the country of which Manipur is a part,” the leader said.
The opposition bloc leaders in the Rajya Sabha have said that a statement by the prime minister and a comprehensive discussion on Manipur are non-negotiable.
They are also demanding a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state under Rule 267, which allows for the suspension of the listed business for the day to discuss an issue.
The government, however, has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion under Rule 176 of the Rajya Sabha.
The Upper House has been witnessing repeated disruptions over the issue of violence-hit Manipur ever since the beginning of the monsoon session on 20 July. (PTI)
