Rajya Sabha Adjourned Amid Chaos Over Manipur Violence: Opposition and Treasury Benches Clash
The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated chaos on Thursday as both the opposition and treasury benches clashed over the issue of violence in Manipur. This led to the second adjournment of the session within a span of just 20 minutes. The ruckus started immediately after the House reconvened at 12 noon, following a 15-minute adjournment announced by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Opposition leaders were raising slogans demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the ethnic violence in Manipur. However, the treasury benches responded by accusing the opposition parties of creating pandemonium while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was delivering a statement on the country’s rise and diplomatic engagements. The slogans raised by the treasury benches included kala kapda kala kand nahi sahega hindustan (India will not tolerate black cloth and wrongdoings) and Modi…Modi.
During the first adjournment, opposition members dressed in black started sloganeering as Jaishankar began his statement. They stood near their seats, shouting slogans like Manipur…Manipur and Pradhan Mantri Sadan me aao, Sadan me aakar jawab do, Manipur pe jawab do (Prime Minister, come to the House and speak on Manipur).
Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, expressed his view that this issue concerned India’s identity, which was being conveyed to the country by the Foreign Affairs Minister. He further criticized those wearing black clothes, emphasizing that even black crows attack them. Goyal stated his faith in the eventual end of darkness and his belief that India would not tolerate black cloth and wrongdoings.
Despite efforts to resume proceedings, the chaos continued, leading to a second adjournment until 2 pm. The opposition and treasury benches remained at loggerheads, preventing any productive discourse from occurring. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail, and the Rajya Sabha will be able to address the critical issue of violence in Manipur.
