New Delhi: For the third day, parliamentary proceedings were disrupted after the Government and the Opposition refused to budge from their positions.
While Home Minister Amit Shah asked the opposition to allow a debate on the Manipur issue to begin on Monday, Opposition insisted on a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi before any debate.
Charges and countercharges flew thick and fast outside Parliament. The Congress alleged that Modi was "scared" of a discussion in Parliament, but the BJP claimed the opposition was running away as it does not want certain facts to come to the fore.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, one of the more vocal voices in Rajya Sabha, was suspended for repeatedly "violating" the directives of the Chair after he rushed to the well of the House and pointed at the Chair during a protest by opposition members on the Manipur issue.
Sanjay Singh, however, remained inside the Rajya Sabha chamber as a mark of protest and moved out after the house was adjourned for the day. He then sat on a protest before the Gandhi statue along with other opposition MPs.
Unending impasse
Despite the efforts of Vice-president and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the logjam continued on Monday.
Amid slogan-shouting and disruptions in Lok Sabha, Amit Shah questioned the opposition's intentions. The government has confirmed that the Home Minister will respond to any debate on the Manipur issue.
"I am willing for discussion in Lok Sabha on the situation in Manipur but do not know why the opposition does not want it," Shah said.
He said opposition leaders should allow a debate, saying it was important for the truth to come out before the country on the Manipur issue.
As opposition members continued their protest, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings for the day.
Day of protest
BJP and the Opposition MPs staged protests near the Mahatma Gandhi statue to bring attention to their demands.
The BJP accused the Congress of hiding the facts about the Manipur violence and running away from the truth. But the Congress blamed the BJP for shielding the prime minister and not treating the Manipur crisis seriously.
In the Lok Sabha, the government was able to transact legislative business amid the uproar. The opposition members demanded a discussion on the Manipur violence.
