Oppn Bloc INDIA To Skip Meeting Called By Dhankhar To End RS Logjam

The opposition alliance INDIA will not attend the meeting called by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday afternoon to end the logjam in the House over the Manipur issue, sources said.

The opposition believes that a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a comprehensive discussion on Manipur, which has been roiled by months-long ethnic violence, are non-negotiable, they said.

Dhankhar has invited floor leaders of all parties for the meeting in an effort to end the impasse in Rajya Sabha. Proceedings in the Upper House have been disrupted as opposition parties are demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur under Rule 267, which allows for suspension of the listed business for the day to discuss an issue.

The government, however, has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion under Rule 176 of Rajya Sabha. Opposition parties will not attend the meeting called by Dhankhar, the sources said.

The opposition is not particular about the rule under which a discussion on Manipur should be held, but it should be a full-fledged discussion without any time constraints, they said. The INDIA bloc narrated the stories that its delegation heard during its recent visit to Manipur to the President. Now, it wants to share them in both houses of Parliament, they said.