© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
After stalling the Rajya Sabha for days, the Opposition Thursday conceded a bit, dropping its demand for a discussion on Manipur under Rule 267, and for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament to precede it, but threw another googly at the government.
It suggested that the government hold the discussion under a rule which involves a motion, the wording of which could be the next bone of contention. Eventually, the stalemate continued on Thursday, and the House remained disrupted.
The recalibration in the Opposition stand followed a meeting of the parties in the morning where, sources said, some Congress leaders joined calls for a middle path to end the logjam. At least one senior leader is learnt to have said that the government was using the logjam to pass Bills, including crucial ones, and that the Opposition members were not getting a chance to present their “critical” views.
Soon after the Rajya Sabha met, the Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien told the House: “Even though we do believe 267 supersedes all the other rules… but that is not the issue. The issue is that the people of the country want to hear us on Manipur (and) we, as the Opposition, want this discussion. We are not here to show ego or arrogance. I will appeal through you to the Leader of the House for a solution because this logjam is helping nobody. Manipur has to be discussed for six to eight hours, let us discuss it in the spirit of one nation.”
With the ruckus however continuing, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he would meet floor leaders to find a way out. The Government’s floor managers – Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi – met Opposition parties at the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
In the meeting, the Opposition leaders formally proposed that the government hold a discussion under Rule 167, which deals with “discussion on a matter of public interest”. The Opposition leaders also showed the government side the text of the debate held in 2002 under Rule 167 on the Gujarat riots.
The signal was that the Opposition was ready to drop its demand for a discussion invoking Rule 267 – which would entail discussion suspending other business – and that this be preceded by a statement by the PM. Goyal, according to Opposition sources, told them that in principle it was a good idea.
Sources said a group of Opposition leaders have already prepared a draft of the motion to be moved in the House. Opposition leaders said they asked Goyal and Joshi to take up the discussion immediately, but that the ministers told them Home Minister Amit Shah was not available Thursday since the Lok Sabha was discussing the NCT Bill.
The discussion won’t happen anytime soon as a result. On Friday, a long discussion is not possible since Friday afternoons are reserved for private member business. On Monday, the Government plans to take up the NCT Bill in the Rajya Sabha, while on Tuesday, the Lok Sabha will start a discussion on the no-confidence motion.
One Opposition leader said: “The government was making excuses citing the busy schedule of the Home Minister.”
Asked why the parties blinked over Rule 267, one leader said: “Why should we alone bear the responsibility for the logjam?… In fact, we got them where we wanted them to be. We offered them a middle path solution. But they could not start a discussion immediately.”
Asked about the demand for a statement by the PM, one leader said: “Modi can come later. Let’s start the discussion.”
However, sources said, the Congress remains divided over dropping this demand. While Congress communication department head Jairam Ramesh tweeted that the Opposition has offered a “middle path solution”, Kharge told reporters that “there was no middle path, only one path… that is, the Prime Minister should make a statement”.
With an agreement with the Government not reached, the Opposition leaders did not attend a meeting convened by Dhankhar.
Later, when the House reassembled at 2 pm, the Opposition leaders continued their protest demanding that the PM be present in the House. Dhankhar said that despite his best efforts, the situation has come to a point that “we are out to win brownie points”. “I have held so many meetings with the Opposition. I have made so many attempts,” the Chairman said.
When the Opposition MPs retorted that they were not trying to score brownie points, Dhankhar said: “It is a good point but if I start dealing with your ignorance, I will have nothing else to do. I will only be clearing the air.”
The Opposition then staged a walkout.
