The Government is unlikely to give in to the Opposition’s demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should give a statement in Parliament on the Manipur issue, as it held negotiations with the Opposition to break the logjam in Parliament.
The Prime Minister held discussions with party president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Parliamentary Minister Pralhad Joshi in Parliament to address the deadlock.
The Opposition has insisted on a suo motu statement from Modi, while the Government maintains the issue falls under the purview of the Home Minister.
Sources indicate that the insistence on the rules governing the conduct of the debate might be resolved if the opposition agrees to the Home Minister’s response.
In an attempt to resolve the standoff, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Pralhad Joshi met with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who continues to assert that the Prime Minister should make the statement on Manipur in the Parliament and not elsewhere.
Both BJP ministers also engaged in discussions with TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay and DMK leader T R Balu, conveying that the government is willing to debate the Manipur issue in both houses.
As the stalemate in Parliament continues, the BJP has raised concerns over alleged crimes against women in opposition-ruled states like Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh.
On Monday, Union Minister Smriti Irani questioned why the Opposition was avoiding a debate and asserted they need to be held accountable for atrocities in their ruled States. She cited incidents of a woman being disrobed in Chhattisgarh.
Irani further referred to a video of the incident that is circulating in Chhattisgarh, urging the I&B and IT ministries to take corrective action to prevent further victimization of the woman.
Appealing to the opposition to stop using crimes against women as a means to settle political scores, Irani emphasised the importance of addressing the issue responsibly.
While the Opposition pressed the Government on the Manipur situation, BJP Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat criticised the ‘lawlessness’ and ‘rape cases’ in Congress-ruled Rajasthan. He referred to a diary, known as ‘Lal Dairy,’ allegedly containing incidents of misconduct by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, which was displayed in the Rajasthan Assembly by a minister recently dismissed by Gehlot.
