A delegation of MPs of the INDIA alliance will be visiting the strife-torn state of Manipur on July 29, 30. This comes as the Parliament session is witnessing rocky proceedings over the developments in Manipur with pressure mounting on the Centre to address the issue in the House.
A team of over 20 opposition members of parliament will visit Manipur this weekend and will take a first-hand account of the situation in the state, Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore told PTI.
The opposition leaders have been seeking to visit the violence-hit state for sometime but were denied permission in view of the situation there. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, had visited a few places in Manipur earlier. Several MPs of the 26-party alliance INDIA will be part of the delegation. They have been demanding a discussion in both houses of Parliament on Manipur, and also a statement from the Prime Minister on the current situation there.
Row Over Manipur In Parliament
Amid the ongoing tussle with the Centre over the issue of Manipur, the Opposition members led by Congress MPs walked out of Rajya Sabha proceedings on Thursday over their demand for a discussion on the Manipur situation.
When the Upper House, which was adjourned twice in the pre-lunch session amid continuous sloganeering by members of both treasury benches and the opposition, reassembled for the post-lunch period, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurah Thakur moved the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 amid sloganeering by the opposition members.
When Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was given the floor by Deputy Chairman Harivansh, members of the treasury benches started shouting.
Kharge said he wanted to speak on the bill as well as "dil ki baat" and tried to bring up the Manipur issue which was disallowed by the deputy chairman saying he should restrict himself to speaking on the bill as per rules of the House.
Subsequently, the opposition members walked out of the House even as it continued discussion on the bill.