Opposition Protests Over Manipur Violence Adjourn Parliament Monsoon Session On Opening Day

Both houses of Parliament adjourned for the day on Thursday afternoon (20 July) due to the opposition party members' demands for a discussion on the Manipur issue.

The Lok Sabha convened at 2 pm for the first day of the Monsoon Session, but it was disrupted by the opposition members who started chanting slogans about the Manipur violence. The slogans included calls for the prime minister to come to the House.

The Monsoon Session began a day after a disturbing video went viral on social media. The video showed two women from the Kuki-Zomi community in Manipur being paraded naked by a mob of men. This incident sparked outrage and led to the opposition's demand for a discussion on the matter in Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi assured that the government is willing to discuss the Manipur issue in both Houses of Parliament. He stated that the opposition's demand for a discussion has been acknowledged and the government is prepared to address the matter. Deputy leader Rajnath Singh also expressed the government's readiness for a discussion on the issue.

“Manipur [violence] is a sensitive issue… It is a big sensitive issue. Therefore, we want to have a discussion and the Home Minister will reply in detail to the discussion. Therefore, I request for allowing the House to function smoothly. People are watching. There are many important bills which have to be passed. There are many important issues which have to be discussed,” Joshi said, amid the opposition raising slogans.

“We are ready to have a discussion about Manipur. Let the Honourable Speaker decide the date. We are ready. I want to make it clear,” he added.

Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, presiding over the session, appealed to the opposition members to allow the House to function as it is intended for discussions. He assured that the government is open to discussing the issue of violence in Manipur.

Despite the persistent protests from the opposition, Solanki adjourned the House for the day in order to restore order and maintain decorum.

The Rajya Sabha chairperson, Jagdeep Dhankhar, similarly adjourned the House for the day due to continuous sloganeering by the opposition.

In his first remarks regarding the Manipur violence that occurred on 3 May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep pain and anger over the "shameful" incident. He said that what happened to the daughters of Manipur is unforgivable, and assured that no culprit will be spared.