“Opposition scared of something, running away from discussion”: Piyush Goyal on logjam over Manipur discussion

ew Delhi [India]: Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said that the Opposition MPs are scared of ‘something’ which is why they are running away from discussions in Parliament over the Manipur issue.

“We have clearly said to the Rajya Sabha Chairman Speaker that whenever he wants, we are ready to have discussions on Manipur. We are requesting the Opposition to have discussions for 10 days.

The Opposition is scared of something; they are running away from discussions. I said inside Parliament that we should have discussions today at 2 pm,” Piyush Goyal said while addressing a press conference here. The union minister on Monday urged Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to take up a discussion on the Manipur situation at 2 pm today.

Goyal made the remarks amid protests by opposition members over their demand for discussion under Rule 267 which also entails voting.

Opposition members have been seeking discussion under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha since the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 20.

While Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar permitted a discussion for a “short duration” to be taken up on the situation in Manipur, the Opposition objected to it and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence in Parliament.

Parliament has not been able to function since the start of the Session on July 20, with the Opposition also demanding a statement by Prime Minister Modi in the House on the crisis.

The Opposition even brought a no-trust motion last week, in a bid to compel Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the Manipur issue within the Parliament.

However, both Houses adjourned for the day amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs over the unrest in Manipur.