New Delhi: Amid the ongoing deadlock in Parliament over the Manipur issue, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said he has written to the Opposition leaders in both Houses that the government was ready for a discussion.
"They (Opposition) are not interested in cooperation, they are not interested in Dalits, nor in the welfare of women, so their sloganeering is very obvious. However, I want to say again that I have written to the leaders of Opposition in both Houses that I am ready for a detailed debate on Manipur. The government has no fear and anyone who wants to discuss is welcome," the home minister said in the Lok Sabha.
"We don't have anything to hide. We have to go to the polls and people are watching you. Create a conducive atmosphere for a discussion on this sensitive issue of Manipur," Amit Shah added.
The home minister also took to Twitter and shared the letter he wrote to Mallikarjun Kharge (LoP Rajya Sabha) and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (LoP Rajya Sabha).
"The government is ready to discuss the issue of Manipur and seeks cooperation from all the parties, rising above party lines. I hope that all the parties will cooperate in resolving this important issue," he wrote.
Amit Shah's remarks came hours after it was reported that some parties of the opposition INDIA alliance are likely to move a notice for a no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha in an attempt to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in Parliament on the Manipur violence.
A deadlock ensues in both houses of Parliament as the opposition persists in its demand for prime minister's statement on the Manipur issue before initiating a debate on the matter. Despite efforts from both the opposition and the treasury benches, a resolution remains elusive.
The violence in Manipur has led to over 160 lives lost and hundreds others injured since the outbreak of ethnic violence between two communities on May 3.
The fourth day of the monsoon session of Parliament began on Tuesday amid outrage over a viral video of two women who were paraded naked by a mob in Manipur. The session saw disruptions and fierce protests by the opposition parties on the Manipur issue as they demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a discussion on the violence in Manipur.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh was suspended by the Rajya Sabha Chairman for the current session of the Parliament for “unruly behaviour”.
The Opposition held an overnight sit-in protest in Parliament over the AAP MP’s suspension as well as Manipur issue.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rajya Sabha on the fourth day of the monsoon session of Parliament.
“So many representatives are giving notices under 267 in Parliament. We are talking about Manipur, but the Prime Minister is talking about East India Company,” he said.
The prime minister, at a key BJP Parliamentary party meet, said that merely using the word 'INDIA' would not work as the “East India Company had also used India and India was also in the name of Indian Mujahideen”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended BJP parliamentary party meet this morning. Attacking the Opposition parties over the ruckus in Parliament due to the Manipur issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had never seen such a “directionless opposition”.
(Agencies)
