New Delhi: The Congress Tuesday harked back to Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister as it sought to condemn PM Narendra Modi for not making a statement in Parliament on the Manipur situation, and a discussion not being held in the two Houses on the subject.
At a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari said Manmohan Singh had “suo motu” intervened in Parliament in 2012 when violence between Bengali-speaking Muslims and the indigenous Bodos triggered fears of a reprisal against northeastern people in other parts of India, with hundreds subsequently returning to their home states in fear.
“Between 2004 and 2014, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whom the opposition called ‘silent prime minister’, addressed the Parliament 70 times,” Tewari said.
“On 17 August 2012, when things became problematic in southern India in connection with people from the northeast… considering the sensitivity of the northeast, Dr Manmohan Singh suo motu intervened in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha,” he added, saying “the Rajya Sabha (at the time) unanimously passed a resolution condemning the violence against people from the northeast and assured them of strong security”.
“This was done because he (Manmohan Singh) was aware that when the situation turns bad in the northeast, that is not good for India’s national security.”
Tewari was accompanied at the press conference by the Congress’ Rajya Sabha whip Syed Naseer Hussain, and Vineet Punia, who is in charge of internal communications in the Congress.
Tewari also attacked the BJP for failing to hold a discussion over the crisis in Manipur.
“When the peace is disrupted in India’s border states… there is instability… it results in unfavorable and far-reaching consequences. There is an atmosphere of revulsion across the country due to what is happening in Manipur for the past 88 days,” he added.
Referring to the statement given by PM Modi outside Parliament at the start of the monsoon session, Tewari said, “If the prime minister accepts that the head of 140 crore Indians bows in guilt, then why does he have issues in saying this thing in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?”
Hussain added that “the Prime minister chose to not speak about the issue in Parliament and made comments outside and left”.
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On discussion in Parliament
Union ministers — including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh — have blamed the Opposition for the current impasse in Parliament, accusing them of not allowing a discussion, saying the government is ready for the same.
Hussain said the government wanted a “short-term discussion” under Rule 176 (of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States), while the Opposition had sought one under Rule 267, which “means that the day’s business should be suspended and the discussion takes place throughout the day”.
“Today is the fourth day when we have continuously demanded discussions under Rule 267. But the government — very intelligently — through its members brings a notice under Rule 176 and says that ‘we are ready for the discussions’,” he said. “Today they are trying to build a narrative across the country that they want a discussion but the Opposition doesn’t. But we want to make it clear that they want discussion under (rule) 176 and are not ready for a discussion under 267.”
Hussain said the government had not allowed a single discussion under Rule 267 for seven years, adding that the last was demonetisation in 2016.
“Again and again they say that discussions cannot be held under 267. I want to remind them that, under Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, between 1990 and 1991, four discussions happened under 267. When Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was the chairman, he allowed discussion under 267 thrice in 2004. Hamid Ansari allowed discussions under 267 four times between 2013 and 2016,” he added. “Why is this government not ready for a full-fledged discussion?”
Tewari criticised the prime minister for not answering “a lot of questions” arising out of the Manipur situation, adding, “Since last Thursday, the INDIA (Opposition) alliance has put it as its priority that the prime minister should speak about the situation and incidents in the northeast”.
“He should have himself started the discussion on the issue in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,” he said.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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