What Is It That Cong, Oppn Want To Hide On Manipur Violence: BJP On Parliament Logjam

The Opposition is running away from a discussion in Parliament on the Manipur violence as it does not want certain facts to come to the fore, the BJP alleged on Monday.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Union Minister Smriti Irani said that Home Minister Amit Shah had in Lok Sabha appealed to all members of the opposition to initiate a discussion or debate on the issues afflicting Manipur.

Shah repeatedly said that he, as the minister in-charge of home affairs, would like to bring "certain facts to light" in both Houses of Parliament, Irani said. "What is shocking is the insistence of the opposition parties to not allow facts to come to the fore," she charged. Manipur issue pertains to internal and national security, Irani said.

"When the Home Minister is asking them to come and discuss, what are the facts of Manipur violence that the Congress wants to hide," Irani said. “What is it that the opposition doesn't want the country to know? Why is the opposition running away from the truth of Manipur?” she added.

Home Minister Amit Shah asked the opposition on Monday to allow a debate on the Manipur issue to begin in Parliament but the deadlock persisted in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as both sides refused to budge from their stand, with Congress and its allies insisting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should first give a statement on the floor of the House.

While replying to questions, Irani hit out at the opposition parties, saying they do not want to discuss crime against women registered in the states ruled by them. Perhaps the Congress may also be running away from a discussion on Manipur because questions will come up as to why its former president Rahul Gandhi was "adding fuel to the fire" when the northeastern state was facing such internal security challenges, she said.

“The Congress wants to limit itself to selective outrage,” she charged. Irani appealed to the opposition parties to allow a discussion in Parliament on the Manipur issue and “stop using crime against women as instruments to settle political scores”.