Stalemate in Parliament continued for the fourth straight day on Tuesday as the Opposition remained firm on its demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should give a statement about the ethnic violence in Manipur.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 pm after chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar received 50 notices for suspension of business of the House to discuss the situation in the northeastern state. Lok Sabha was also suspended till 2 pm as Opposition members disrupted proceedings by shouting slogans.
Manipur has been wrecked with clashes between the Kukis and the Meiteis since May 3, killing over 160 people and displacing more than 60,000. The Opposition’s attack against the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Manipur was bolstered after a video showing two Kuki women being paraded naked was widely shared on social media last week.
On Tuesday, some Opposition parties who are part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance held a meeting at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber. They decided to move a no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha, according to reports. However, the BJP and its allies have a clear majority in the Lower House.
“Despite our various pleas, Modi has refused to make a statement on the developments in Manipur and measures taken by the Centre,” an unidentified senior leader of the Opposition told The Hindu. “This [no-confidence motion] is the only Parliamentary tool available to us to force the prime minister to make a statement on the situation.”
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor told NDTV that Manipur was suffering from “one of the gravest crisis” that India has faced in a long time and there cannot be a more important subject that requires Modi’s attention.
“There has been a horrendous loss of lives...there were rapes and violence and displacement,” he added. “And now it is spreading. In Mizoram, there has been a backlash and Meities are fleeing the state.”
However, Union minister Piyush Goyal in Parliament highlighted the crimes against women in Opposition-ruled states, saying that discussions should be held on these matters as well.
Earlier on Tuesday, Modi also chaired a parliamentary meeting of the BJP. Though, it is not clear if Modi will speak in Parliament about the tensions in Manipur.
As outrage grew over the sexual assault, Modi broke his silence on Manipur on July 20, nearly 80 days after the clashes first broke out in the northeastern state. However, he only addressed reporters outside Parliament and took no questions.
Also read:
- Why Prime Minister Modi’s speech on Manipur is worse than his silence
- Armed gangs and a partisan state: How Manipur slipped into civil war
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