NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI: A day after moving a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha against the Narendra Modi government, Opposition parties on Thursday stepped up their protest in Parliament over the Manipur violence, creating a ruckus in the Lok Sabha and disrupting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s speech in the Rajya Sabha.
Although the Lok Sabha witnessed chaos, the Treasury Bench managed to pass two important bills — the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, which seeks to improve the ease of doing business, and the Repealing and Amending Bill aimed at repealing 65 obsolete laws. The Rajya Sabha passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Congress Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha Kodikunnil Suresh alleged the government passed the bills without discussion. The Upper House witnessed a heated exchange between Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge after Opposition members disrupted Jaishankar’s statement on the country’s achievements on the foreign policy front.
Taking a dig at the Opposition members for wearing black dress, Goyal said it reflected their political future. “Your past, present and future is black,” Goyal said to the chagrin of Opposition members.
Later, the opposition parties said they would send a 20-member delegation of MPs to Manipur on July 28 and 29 to assess the situation in the state. On Thursday, one person was killed and three others were injured in a fierce gunfight between two groups in Manipur.