The proceedings in both Houses of Parliament came to a halt and were adjourned until the next day due to the uproar surrounding the issue of Manipur violence.
In the Lok Sabha, after resuming the session at 2 PM following the first adjournment, the Presiding Officer rejected adjournment notices moved by members from various political parties, which included concerns about the violence in Manipur.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi clarified that the government is willing to discuss the matter of Manipur violence and Home Minister Amit Shah will provide a response, considering it a sensitive issue. Joshi urged all political parties to cooperate for the smooth functioning of the House as several crucial legislations are scheduled to be addressed during the session.
Members from Congress, DMK, JD(U), and others were not satisfied and created disturbances, trooping into the well of the House and raising slogans. The presiding officer tried to convince the protesting members to allow the House to function, but the sloganeering continued.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, raised the issue of violence in Manipur, demanding discussion under rule 267. He expressed concern about the situation in Manipur, highlighting the reported atrocities on women. Several parties, including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, TMC, Left, Samajwadi Party, and RJD, demanded a discussion on the Manipur issue.
Eventually, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. In the Rajya Sabha, when the House reconvened at 2 PM after the second adjournment, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur introduced the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023.
Earlier, at 12 Noon, when the Rajya Sabha reconvened after the first adjournment, the Chairman mentioned that the notices submitted by members from different political parties, addressing issues like Manipur violence, the Balasore train accident, and unemployment, were disallowed. Derek O’Brien of TMC echoed similar demands. The House witnessed slogans and counter-slogans from both the Opposition and Treasury bench members. Amidst the noise, the Upper House was adjourned until 2 PM.
After the adjournment of the upper house, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal expressed his concerns about the Opposition’s attitude and their unwillingness to let the Parliament function despite the government’s readiness for debate.
The Opposition demanded the suspension of all business to address the Manipur discussion and sought the presence of the Prime Minister in the House. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar mentioned the notices given under rule 176 for a short-duration discussion on Manipur violence by members of different political parties and stated that the time for the debate would be decided after consulting the Leader of the House. However, Mallikarjun Kharge insisted that the debate must be taken up under rule 267, with all House business suspended. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over the Prime Minister’s initial silence on the matter and urged him to address the issue in Parliament for discussion.
Critiquing the opposition’s approach, Pralhad Joshi accused them of deliberately seeking excuses to disrupt the proceedings of Parliament, claiming that their actions were unjustifiable.
Presently, the Supreme Court called out the Center. Chief Justice Chandrachud takes note of the shocking videos in Manipur that are now emerging, the incidents happened on May 4, 2023. He said that they were deeply disturbed by the videos that have emerged of the incident. “We are expressing our deep concern. It is time that the government really steps in and takes action. This is simply unacceptable”.Take action or we will step in says CJI to the Center.
Interestingly, amid all this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday walked up to Sonia Gandhi in Parliament and asked about her health as the MPs assembled for the first day of the Monsoon Session in the midst of the raging topics of the Manipur situation. Sonia Gandhi said she was fine. The courteous exchange took place as the Opposition sharpened its attack on the BJP government after a video of two Kuki women being paraded naked went viral. The session is also the first opportunity for the united opposition to test the strength of INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance).