From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, on Saturday blamed Prime Miniter Modi for disruption of the entire monsoon session of Parliament that ended on Friday by not speaking on Manipur as sought by the opposition before start of the session.
He told a press conference that the Opposition was ultimately compelled to bring a no-confidence motion to pull the Prime Minister in the House to speak on Manipur. He said the government, however, violated the usual practice of suspending all business and first discuss the no-confidence motion, so much so that 17 Bills were passed without the Opposition getting a chance to speak on them except on the Delhi Bill.
Chowdhury said the Opposition was compelled to walk out when the Primee Minister did not speak on Manipur in two hours. He could have aat least said that he would speak on it in the end, but he did not. He had a record reply of two hours and 15 minutes, not by any PM in the past, spending just three minutes on Manipur and that too after the Opposition had walked out.
On the PM accusing the opposition of running away from Manipur debate, he said the truth is that no government has fallen because of the no-confidence motion and so the opposition felt a walkout will be answer to the Prime Minister’s silence on Manipur. Moreover, it is not in the hand of the Opposition as it does not have the numbers to pull down the government.
In reply to a question on the PM declaring that he would come to power for the third time in 2024, he said nobody will say a farewell before the elections. Not third time, he said he has no objection if the BJP government comes to power 300 times. He said the opposition parties are assembling under the banner of INDIA to defeat his government in the next election and he can’t understand Modi showing uneasiness at the very word INDIA. “You talk of winning 400 seats, we have no problem but why do you object to our use of word INDIA.”
Chowdhury said since the Opposition started using the word INDIA, Modi and the BJP leaders have started Bharatiya (Hindi) words as if the next fight is INDIA versus Bharat. He said there is no difference between India and Bharat as the Constitution talks of Bharat, that is India, a union of states.
He also expressed serious concern on Home Minister Amit Shah telling the Lok Sabha that the Centre has deployed the central forces as a “buffer” between the two communities as if Manipur is now divided into Kuki land and Meitei land. “I wanted to speak on it, but didn’t get the opportunity,” he said.
On his suspension from the House on the last day, he said it is really a new phenomenon never experienced during career in Parliament. Repeatedly stressing that he won’t disobey the Speaker on his direction to approve the government-sponsored motion, he said for one or two words misconstrued by the government as an offensive, it may protest and urged the Speaker to expunge them. He clarified: “I can say that I did not have even a remote objective to disparage or tarnish anyone, whosoever in the Parliament,” he said.
He said he has been hanged and he will have to face the trial before the privilege committee….”Wwhat I have experienced that there is a deliberate design by the ruling party to throttle the voice of the opposition by resorting to various unsavoury instruments, which should not be applied on me.”
Asked about Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wanted him to apologise or express regret in the House, Chowdhury said: “In so much din, I do not know when my apology was sought. …the minister has been seeking my apology out of vengeance.”
In reply to another question on the Opposition team that had gone to Manipur, he said the Opposition will continue to seek peace and harmony in Manipur. “It is a disaster of humanity. It is humanitarian disaster. Very serious situation there,” he added.
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