The Centre on Wednesday said that it is ready to discuss the Manipur issue in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Parliament. The decision was announced during an all-party meeting called by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government to discuss various matters for the Monsoon Session. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chaired the meeting, which aimed to deliberate on a range of issues related to the session. The Monsoon Session of the Parliament will begin from July 20 and will continue till August 11.
Government is willing to discuss every issue permitted under the rules and approved by the Chair in Parliament's Monsoon Session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said during the meeting, as per news agency PTI.
Earlier, in a meeting of the business advisory committee called by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Joshi asserted that the government was willing to discuss the violence in Manipur, the news agency reported quoting sources.
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Representatives from various parties attended the all-party meeting including Jairam Ramesh, Pramod Tiwari from Congress, Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal), Ramgopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Thanmbi Durai (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), ST Hasan (SP), Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Rajnath Singh, AD Singh (Rashtriya Janata Dal), and NK Premchand (Revolutionary Socialist Party).
On Saturday, the Congress party said it has decided to raise the issue of Manipur during the Monsoon Session in its parliamentary strategy meeting that was held at Sonia Gandhi's residence. “Discussion is very important on this issue,”Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday during a press conference following the meeting. “The PM needs to speak and a debate needs to happen in the presence of the PM,” he said.
“What has happened in Manipur, what has the Centre and State done and what they will do, he (PM Modi) should make the MPs know about it,” Jairam said. “He should break his silence.”
Manipur has been in the grip of ethnic violence since May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was taken out in the hill districts by All Tribal Students' Union Manipur opposing the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list. Over 140 people have been killed in the clashes so far while a large number of population has been displaced.
165 columns (each having around 35-40 personnel) of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles are currently depolyed in the north eastern state. Additionally, 57 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 48 of the Border Security Force (BSF), and four of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are stationed in the state. Each company has around 100 personnel.