“We aren't inviting him to our private meeting”: Congress’ Pramod Tiwari reiterates PM’s statement over Manipur
Jul 28, 2023
New Delhi [India], July 28 : The Parliament is witnessing a ‘slogan war’, as Opposition MPs are continuously shouting slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his statement on the Manipur issue, forcing adjournments in both the Houses.
Following the disruptions, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday held a meeting with leaders of all Opposition parties to discuss ending the logjam and to start the proceedings of the House to be held next week.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari who attended the meeting representing the party along with Jairam Ramesh, while talking to ANI said that the PM should speak on Manipur inside the Parliament.
“I am thankful to the Chairman for inviting the oppositon leaders...Congress MP Jairam Ramesh and I were representing Congress...I requested that PM Modi should give a statement and then whichever minister wants to answer can do it. But the Manipur incident is such that the entire nation wants to know...Shouldn't the PM speak in Parliament about the incident? We aren't inviting him to our private meeting..." Tiwari said.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal, after the meeting, while addressing a press conference said that the Chairman has suggested that this logjam should be ended through proper discussion.
“The chairman emphasised that the Parliament should function properly through dialogue, debate and discussion. It is a forum to discuss public issues...He suggested that this logjam should be ended through proper discussion. Everyone should participate for the proper functioning of the Parliament...," Goyal said.
The meeting was an attempt at reaching out to the opposition in a bid to bring normalcy to the House and allow it to function.
Chairman Dhakhar has asked all the leaders to convey the Chairman's message to their top leadership and take a rational decision in two or three days.
“Chairman was very upset and emotional about the way one member behaved in the House during the proceeding,” Goyal added.
On Thursday, MPs from the INDIA group of parties turned up in black attire to protest against the Prime Minister's silence on Manipur, where ethnic clashes have been going on since the first week of May. The government's stand, on the other hand, has been that it is ready for a discussion.
I.N.D.I.A or ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ is a group of 26 opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
