NEW DELHI, July 24 (PTI): Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Monday following protests by opposition members demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the ethnic violence in Manipur.
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As soon as the House met at 11 AM, opposition members belonging to the Congress, DMK, Left and others were on their feet demanding a discussion on the Manipur violence.
Speaker Om Birla allowed Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to speak. Chowdhury said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a suo moto statement on the floor of the House on the violence in Manipur.
Birla said the House is ready for a discussion on the Manipur violence and the debate could be started after 12 noon as the time fixed for the Question Hour from 11 AM should not be disturbed as many important issues are raised by MPs during this period for a reply from the government.
“The whole House is ready for the discussion and the government will reply to the debate too. But you will not decide who will reply to the debate,” he said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi too said that the government was ready for the discussion and it is the opposition which is disrupting the proceedings and running away from debate.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the deputy leader of Lok Sabha, reiterated his statement, made on Friday last, that the government is ready for a discussion on the Manipur violence.
As the opposition stuck to their demand for a statement from the prime minister, the Speaker continued with the proceedings.
The House functioned for about 30 minutes amidst the sloganeering and protests by the opposition.
Birla again appealed to the opposition to allow the Question Hour to function smoothly as he was ready for a discussion on Manipur violence from 12 noon onwards.
The opposition was showing placards which read “INDIA wants discussion on Manipur violence”, “INDIA for Manipur” etc.
As the protests continued, the speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.
