5 days ago
After logjam in first week, Parliament to discuss Pahalgam, Sindoor from Monday
AFTER a week of disruptions and adjournments, Parliament is all set to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor next week as the Opposition has agreed to the agenda for special discussions.
The breakthrough came in a meeting of Speaker Om Birla with senior leaders of various parties, where it was decided that the LS would discuss the April 22 terror attack and Operation Sindoor, beginning Monday for 16 hours, and the RS would discuss the same beginning Tuesday, again for 16 hours, said Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Criticising the Opposition for 'disrupting' Parliament proceedings through the week, Rijiju told reporters, 'All issues cannot be discussed together… The Opposition has raised several issues, like the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and others. We have told them that Operation Sindoor will be discussed first. We will decide which issues will be discussed after that… Operation Sindoor will be debated for 16 hours in Lok Sabha on Monday (July 28) and for 16 hours in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (July 29)…'
Asked if PM Narendra Modi will speak in Parliament during the discussion, another key demand of the Opposition, Rijiju said the government cannot decide the speakers of Opposition parties, and vice versa.
He expressed hope that the 'Opposition will allow Parliament to function from next week' and lamented the waste of resources and efforts gone into preparing answers for questions to be asked by MPs during Question Hours, which did not take place in first week amid Opposition protests.
The Congress, meanwhile, accused the government of hiding behind technical reasons and not clarifying whether there will be a discussion on the SIR or not. 'We didn't raise the Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor issue in the House as we had demanded that PM Narendra Modi should be in the House during that, but he is abroad and it's not possible,' Congress's deputy leader in the LS Gaurav Gogoi said after the meeting with the Speaker.
'We were demanding that the Bihar SIR be discussed in the House, but the government is not clarifying whether this issue will be discussed in the House or not. They are hiding behind technical reasons,' he said.
Though the Opposition has been demanding that PM Modi be present in the House during the discussion, there is no final word on whether he would reply to the debate. A BJP leader said the list of BJP speakers for the special discussion in both Houses was being prepared, adding that top ministers were expected to participate.
Friday again saw no significant legislative business in both Houses, much like the four days preceding it. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair when the LS met post-lunch at 2 pm, rebuked the protesting Opposition MPs. 'Nobody is benefiting from this ruckus. People have sent you to raise their issues and you are disrupting the House,' he said.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the 'Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024' is a very important proposal concerning STs and should be taken up for discussion.
'It is a very important Bill. Are they (Opposition) against the STs?' Meghwal said. As the Opposition MPs continued their protest, Pal adjourned the House till Monday.
In the first half, Speaker Om Birla began the House proceedings with a mention of the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26 (Saturday).
'In the Kargil war (1999), our Army faced geographical and climatic challenges and showed its valour… Today, we pay homage to the soldiers who sacrificed everything for the nation,' Birla said, following which the House observed brief silence.
When the Opposition began its protest again, the Speaker told them: 'Come to meet me if you want a discussion. In consultation with the government, I will find a way out to discuss issues. This is not the proper way in the largest democracy of the world… Planned obstruction is not good for democracy. In Question Hour, we should uphold the healthy tradition of the House.' As the din continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm.
The Rajya Sabha too saw Opposition uproar over SIR in Bihar, forcing the Chair to adjourn the House for the day. The Upper House witnessed the first adjournment till noon soon after it convened at 11 am.
When the House met at noon for the Question Hour, BJP MP K Laxman sought to know the details of Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
When Chouhan rose to speak, the Opposition MPs raised slogans that the SIR exercise be stopped. Chouhan said he wanted to answer the question, but the Opposition protests continued.
BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was in the Chair, requested the protesting MPs to return to their seats. With the Opposition members unrelenting, the House was adjourned for the day.
Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers.
Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.
Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers.
He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen's College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More
