Dialling up heat, Oppn set to take Manipur issue to President; Govt resorting to ‘Hitlershahi’, says Kharge

Both Houses of Parliament have remained paralysed during the ongoing monsoon session so far. The Opposition has been disrupting the Rajya Sabha, seeking a suo motu statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur situation followed by a comprehensive discussion on the issue under Rule 267. In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition has moved a no-confidence motion in a bid to force the PM to come to the House and reply to the discussion.

The strong observations made by the Supreme Court over the Manipur crisis – the apex court today said there is a complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in the state and that the investigation carried out by the state police was “tardy” and “too lethargic” – has reinforced the Opposition’s stand.

The Congress president and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, charged that the Modi government was bulldozing the Opposition in Parliament. Kharge said the Rajya Sabha had taken up discussions invoking Rule 267 on various issues seven times, while discussions were taken up suspending Question Hour 10 times.

“There are several precedents. But now they are threatening us. We are told that you will be punished if you disturb the House. It is the government which is doing it. One of our MPs, Rajani Patil, was suspended for one session during the last session. But her suspension has not been revoked. What kind of democracy is this? This is a dictatorship. This is Hitlershahi,” Kharge alleged, addressing a joint press conference with the INDIA’s leaders.

Interestingly, BRS leader K Keshava Rao too walked out of the House along with the Opposition leaders and was present at the press conference.

“When I get up to speak, members of the ruling party shout. And my microphone is switched off. They give me permission to speak but my mic is switched off in 10 seconds. How does it happen? Yeh mera Opposition party leader ko wo ek alag nazar se dekhte hain. This is an insult to me,” Kharge said. “INDIA alliance will not be scared. We will not run away. We will fight them and defeat them in 2024,” he said.

Kharge charged the Opposition was not being allowed to speak in the Rajya Sabha. “We had been demanding a discussion on Manipur under Rule 267. We want the Prime Minister to come to the House and place his views. But he is not willing to come. He is doing election campaigning, travelling to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh. Today, he was in Pune, what was such a big event that he had to go (to Pune) instead of attending Parliament… and everywhere he is attacking the Opposition,” he said.

Keeping his guns trained on PM Modi, Kharge said, “Come to the House, place your views, we will answer all your questions. But he (PM) is going outside and telling… taking advantage of all these things to make election propaganda. He is making election speeches but is not ready to make one small statement in the House on the Manipur issue, where more than 200 people have died, 5,000 people are injured, and nearly 60,000 people have been forced to vacate their houses.”