Will demand discussion on Manipur in Parliament: Congress

New Delhi: Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Congress on Saturday said it will demand a discussion on the Manipur situation in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and would like Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the country into confidence on the matter.

The Opposition party also said it will raise some other pressing issues facing the country such as railway safety in the wake of the Balasore train tragedy, assault on the federal structure of the country, demand of joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue, inflation, bringing the GST under the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the sexual harassment allegations against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Briefing reporters after an hour and a half long meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Strategy Group, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the party wants the Prime Minister Modi to break his “maun-vrat (vow of silence)” on Manipur.

Taking a jibe at Modi, he said there is an “ABC element to the PM’s silence as he is silent on Adani, Brij Bushan and China”.

The Congress will raise the issue of “continuous silence” of the prime minister and the “continuous ineffectiveness of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Manipur in both the Houses of Parliament”.

The Congress general secretary said the party will also raise the issue of railway safety in Parliament, in view of the Balasore train tragedy.

He alleged that in the pursuit of launching Vande Bharat trains, the basic issue of railway safety has been ignored. Since there was no railway budget and no special discussion on railways, the party will raise the matter during the session, Ramesh said.

Responding to a question, he said the party stands by its demand of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation over the Balasore tragedy.

Another important issue discussed during the strategy group meeting was the assault on the federal structure of the country by the Modi government as well as the people appointed by it, Ramesh said.

He said the Congress has always opposed it and will continue to oppose the “attack” on the constitutional rights and responsibilities of elected governments.

He alleged that there was a “brazen attack” on constitutional bodies also which were being “weakened, ignored and overlooked”.

The other pressing issue that came for discussion was the continuously rising prices of essential food items, not only the tomatoes, but rice, pulses and other vegetables, he said.

While the government has claimed that the inflation rate had come down, actually the prices of essential commodities has increased and the Congress would like the issue to be discussed in Parliament and know from the government what it was doing about it, Ramesh said.

The party will reiterate the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations against the Adani group. He said some more facts had come up since the previous session of Parliament and the party will raise the matter again.

The party will also raise the issue of bringing the GST under the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which, Ramesh claimed, will lead to a lot of harassment to small and medium level traders.

The Congress will also raise the issue of the involvement of BJP MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bushan Singh in sexual harassment of female wrestlers.

Besides these issues, the Congress general secretary said various matters specific to particular states such as the delimitation in Assam and alleged “atrocities” against Scheduled Castes and tribes in Madhya Pradesh will also be raised by the MPs of the party.

Ramesh also asserted that the Congress would oppose bills such as personal data protection and one to amend forest conservation law.

Parliament’s Monsoon Session will start on July 20 and continue till August 11. The session will be spread across 23 days and will have 17 sittings.

The government on Thursday listed bills on personal data protection, to amend forest conservation laws and on the contentious ordinance on Delhi services for the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning next week.

A bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat listed 21 news bills for the Monsoon Session, including a draft legislation to check film piracy, introduce age-based categories for censor certification and to set up the National Research Foundation.