By India Today News Desk: Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi reached out to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition leaders on Thursday in an attempt to resolve the deadlock in the Parliament caused by continuous disruptions over the Manipur issue.
The Centre reached out to opposition MPs after they chose to skip a meeting called by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar aimed at ensuring the smooth functioning of the House.
Leader of the Rajya Sabha, Piyush Goyal, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Pralhad Joshi, held a meeting with Kharge, who serves as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
During the meeting, leaders of the INDIA bloc proposed that a continuous and uninterrupted discussion on the Manipur should be initiated in Rajya Sabha to bring an end to the deadlock, reported news agency PTI.
They expressed hope that the Narendra Modi-led government would agree to this suggestion.
OPPOSITION VS CENTRE ON MANIPUR ISSUE
The Opposition bloc has been insistent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving a statement in the House regarding the prolonged ethnic violence in Manipur. In contrast, the government has stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the one to deliver the statement.
According to sources in the Opposition, having a statement from the prime minister and conducting a comprehensive discussion on Manipur are non-negotiable demands.
Furthermore, the opposition parties are seeking a discussion on the Manipur situation under Rule 267, which allows for the suspension of listed business for the day to address a specific issue. However, the government has agreed to conduct a short-duration discussion under Rule 176 of Rajya Sabha instead.
OPPOSITION LEADERS MEET PRESIDENT
Opposition bloc INDIA on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu over their demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Parliament on the Manipur issue.
They also demanded that the prime minister visit the strife-torn state to restore peace.
In the memorandum submitted to the President, 31 leaders of the opposition bloc also raised the issue of communal tension in Haryana’s Nuh and alleged that the Central government was not bothered about the developments that are taking place “barely 100 km from the Prime Minister’s Office”.
(With PTI inputs)
