On Wednesday, political parties stated repellent things against the authority over the conflicts between India-China troops in Arunachal Pradesh.
Opposition parties pressed the government for an entire debate and asked for clarifications on the face-off in the Tawang sector, a day after Union defence minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that, on December 9 Chinese army attempted to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse sector, and unilaterally change the status quo along the contested border, but were pushed back by Indian troops.
In the Rajya Sabha, the chair did not permit a discussion and said there was no precedent for allowing one on such a sensitive issue. In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla asked the Opposition lawmakers to participate in Question Hour, ignoring their demand for an adjournment motion to set aside other discussions.
“Don’t you want to run the Question Hour? You create a ruckus every day on important topics like Question Hour,” Birla said amid protests. He later pointed out that the subject of debates had to be decided by the business advisory committee of the House.
The Opposition, led by the Congress’s parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, walked out twice in the Lok Sabha and once in the Rajya Sabha. The party’s floor leader in the Lower House, Adhir Chowdhury, argued that a debate was held during the Indo-China war in 1962.
“When the Indo-China war took place in 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru ensured that in this House, 165 MPs were given a chance to speak. And after the MPs spoke, a decision was taken on the next course of action. We demand that this situation must be discussed,” he said.
Opposition parties, barring the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, met at Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber to discuss strategy on Wednesday morning. A senior Opposition member added that the parties decided to retain focus on the issue of the India-China border situation and raise it in “different ways”. “A joint statement from the entire Opposition will be issued soon on the current border situation.” Communist Party of India leader Binoy Viswam added.
Kharge raised the issue of allowing a “detailed discussion” in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday morning so that the facts of the conflict could be made known to the Opposition and the people. Kharge’s demand was backed by members from the AAP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and left parties, among others.
Members of the Opposition are also concerned that they have not been able to raise issues of national concern under Rule 267 in both Houses. The rule allows the suspension of business to take up a matter of national importance.
Congress MP Nasir Hussain said all the 17 parties discussed the Chinese aggression earlier in the House and decided to raise several public problems. Hussain stated, “We had to walk out on the issue yesterday and today too on the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers on the LAC. In the next few days, we will keep raising some other issues of public interest.”
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