Amid opposition protests bringing the Parliament to a standstill for three consecutive days after the beginning of the Monsoon session on Monday, the government has agreed to hold a 16-hour debate in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor early next week, reported PTI.
According to sources, the government denied the Opposition’s demand for a farewell speech by former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, but agreed to allow farewell speeches by the seven retiring MPs.
According to the report citing sources, Lok Sabha will begin the discussion on July 28 and the Rajya Sabha a day later if there are no disruptions.
The decisions were taken at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meetings on July 21 and 23 as the opposition has been insisting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on Operation Sindoor and the alleged security lapses during the Pahalgam terror attack.
The government however, the sources said, has made no commitment on the opposition's demand for the prime minister's response but has cited its proposal for a parliamentary discussion next week on the ground that Modi will be back by then from his four-day foreign visit, for which he left on Wednesday.
The government has also given no assurance regarding any discussion on other issues raised by the opposition, including the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
A senior BJP leader said the debate on Operation Sindoor will not only have a strong national traction but will also be paid attention to by the global community.
"The prime minister may choose the occasion to convey his government's robust response to the terror attack and stand on a host of issues," the BJP leader said, adding that a final call has not been taken yet on whether Modi will speak or not.
Congress' deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari, who attended the BAC meeting, claimed, "We have demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be present during the discussion, and we have been assured of that by the government."
This was the first BAC meeting after Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down as vice president on Monday, when he chaired two back-to-back committee meetings to finalise the House's agenda.
The vice president is ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Dhankhar called off the second meeting and rescheduled it for Tuesday as Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha J P Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju did not attend due to what they later said was their engagement in other official business.
Dhankhar resigned a few hours later to "prioritise health care."
The BAC includes representatives of various parties and is chaired by the respective presiding officers of the two Houses.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi hit out at the PM for his silence over the statement made by US President Donald Trump about brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
"How can the Prime Minister give a statement? What will he say? That Trump has facilitated it? He can’t say it but it is the truth. The entire world knows that Trump has announced a ceasefire. We can't hide from reality,” Gandhi told reporters in Parliament.
"This is not only about a ceasefire. There are several major issues that we would like to discuss related to defence, defence manufacturing, and Operation Sindoor. The condition is not normal; the entire nation knows,” he added.