Dhankar tells Kharge ‘you’re No. 1 in my heart’; Congress chief responds
Amid the ruckus in the Parliament over Manipur issue Tuesday, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge engaged in a light-hearted exchange.
After Kharge said he was also among the leaders who demanded a discussion on Manipur, Dhankar replied, “That will happen as the time permits…but you are number one in my heart.”
In response, the Congress president took a dig at the chairman saying, “I know your heart is very large…but that is on the other side.”
Soon, the political dig evoked laughter and claps from the members of the House and Dhankar also chuckled at Kharge’s words.
The exchange came as the Congress leader said that he had sought a discussion on Manipur by suspending regular proceedings under Rule 267. The rule empowers MPs to give notice seeking suspension of listed businesses to discuss an issue of national importance.
The parliament faced logjam over the debate on its fourth day since the start of the monsoon session Thursday. The Opposition pressed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘elaborate statement’ in both Houses on the Manipur issue followed by a discussion on the matter.
While the government agreed on holding a discussion, it said the demand for a statement by Modi is a “caveat for disruption.” On the inaugural day of the Parliament session Thursday, PM Modi condemned the horrific act of parading two Kuki women naked and sexually assaulting them, an incident which happened a day after the ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state on May 3.
A video of the incident had gone viral on social media last Wednesday, evoking massive nationwide outrage.
Union home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh reiterated on Monday that the government was ready to hold the discussion.
“I am ready for discussion on this in the House. I request the Opposition to let a discussion take place on this issue. It is important that the country gets to know the truth on this sensitive matter,” Shah said in Lok Sabha. However, the Opposition remained adamant about Modi’s statement.
Earlier today, a closed-door Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party meeting was also held to chalk out the strategy for the monsoon session. At the meet, Modi slammed the Opposition and its newly-formed alliance I.N.D.I.A, an acronym for Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, and said people cannot be misled merely by the use of the country’s name.
Modi’s fresh attack on the Opposition coincided with reports that INDIA alliance is likely to move a notice for a no-confidence motion against the government.