Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi meet Congress chief to end Parliament logjam, Kharge 'adamant' on demand
The opposition alliance INDIA will not attend the meeting called by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday afternoon to end the logjam in the House over the Manipur issue, sources said.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had convened a meeting to churn out a solution to end the logjam in the House over the Manipur issue. However, as per the sources, the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A did not attend the meeting. Meanwhile, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary affairs minister Prahlad Joshi have come to meet the Congress president and opposition leaders in the chamber of LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament to end Parliament logjam.
Statement by PM Modi non-negotiable
The opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A believes that a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a comprehensive discussion on violence-hit Manipur are non-negotiable. The Parliament has witnessed repeated disruptions over Manipur roiled by months-long ethnic violence.
I.N.D.I.A 'adamant' on demand
After the opposition skipped the meeting called by Dhankhar to ensure the smooth functioning of the House, Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi met Kharge. According to reports, leaders of the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A has suggested that a discussion on Manipur should be initiated in Rajya Sabha in an uninterrupted manner to end the impasse. Hope the Modi government will agree to this, a source said.
Demands of opposition bloc
From the starting of the Parliament Monsoon Session, the opposition bloc is demanding a statement by the Prime Minister in the house on the months-long ethnic violence in Manipur. However, the government asserted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will make a statement in the house.
Opposition parties are also demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur under Rule 267, which allows for 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 Rajya Sabha.
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