Cong walkout on border conflict; Not allowed to speak

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 9/16/2020 2:19:07 PM

NEW DELHI, Sep 15: The Congress MPs, led by group leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after 10 minutes of unsuccessful attempts to speak after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement on the border conflict with China, saying they were not allowed to speak despite repeated requests to the Speaker.
They walked out raising slogans that the Modi government is running away from debate on the Ladakh crisis. Chowdhury said he tried to raise the issue twice on Monday and wanted clarifications from Rajnath Singh contradicting Prime Minister Modi's famous claim that there is no intrusion. Speaker Om Birla, however, showed him the rule book that no questions are asked after the minister's statement in the House, unlike the questions allowed in the Rajya Sabha.
Birla snubbed the Congress members protesting loudly, saying they cannot create pandemonium on such a sensitive subject when the entire nation is with the Indian Army fighting bravely on the Ladakh border. "Are you with the Army," the Speaker asked and said: "I said you are on your behalf." When he continued calling the ministers to continue with the matters on the agenda after telling Chowdhury that "I will give the ruling," the Congress members from the Lok Sabha chamber as well as those in the Rajya Sabha chamber and the galleries decided to walk out.
"We wanted clarifications on certain issues but the Speaker didn't allow us to speak. We will keep pressing for a debate on the issue," a Congress MP said.
Speaking about the matter, Chowudhury said, "During the 1962 war, Atal Behar Vajpayee had demanded discussion on the ongoing war and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had agreed to hold a two-day discussion in Parliament. Why not now?" Another leader said the false feeler was given before the start of the session that the government would allow a short duration debate on the issue to get an unanimous resolution passed on the integrity of the country.
Hitting out at the Modi government, Congress spokesman and general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said the country stands united with the defence forces but the defence minister must explain how did the Chinese manage to occupy Indian territory.
"Why did PM Modi mislead the nation by saying China has not entered into our territory? When will you push back the Chinese from our territory? When will you give a befitting reply to China for this transgression?" Surjewala asked.

 

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