During the 2023 Parliament monsoon session, the opposition has been persistently urging Prime Minister Modi to address the issue of ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur on the parliamentary floor, followed by a discussion. Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed the readiness of the government to engage in a discussion on the matter in the Lok Sabha, amid the continuous protests by the opposition demanding PM Modi’s statement. However, the relentless sloganeering by opposition leaders eventually led to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourning the proceedings for the day.
On the opening day of the session, PM Modi publicly spoke about the violence during a pre-session address in the Parliament complex, strongly condemning the incident where two Manipur women were subjected to a horrific attack by a mob, being paraded naked and sexually assaulted. He called the incident shameful for any civilized society and urged all chief ministers to strengthen laws for stringent action against crimes, especially those targeting women.
The opposition parties, however, insisted on a more detailed statement from PM Modi before proceeding with a discussion on the issue. In response, the central government agreed to hold a discussion but viewed the demand for a statement by the Prime Minister as a potential cause for disruption.
The horrific incident, which occurred on May 4, incited nationwide outrage when a disturbing video of the event went viral online. Following this, members of the newly formed opposition coalition, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A), including AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi, held banners demanding PM’s statement in both houses and raising slogans against him.
The Monsoon Session initiated on July 20, shortly after its commencement, both houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, were adjourned consequent to the widespread outrage over the shocking Manipur horror. Along with the Manipur violence issue, the opposition intends to address several other crucial matters during the session, including railway safety, unemployment, inflation, the status of the India-China Border, and the trade balance between the two countries.
Among the significant bills scheduled to be tabled in this session of Parliament are the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, the Jan Vishwas Bill (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, and the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill.
Also Read: Manipur Videos Being Discussed Internationally, But Not In India: Jaya Bachchan
