NEW DELHI: In an attempt to break the continued stalemate in the Rajya Sabha between the opposition and the treasury benches over the Manipur violence, leader of the House Piyush Goyal and parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi met leader of the opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday.
The meeting comes after the opposition skipped the meeting called by Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar to ensure smooth functioning of the House.
Goyal, who is also the commerce minister, and Joshi reached out to Kharge, who is also the Congress president, and other opposition leaders to break the deadlock in the Council of States, which has witnessed repeated disruptions over the Manipur issue.
During the meeting, leaders of the opposition suggested that a discussion on Manipur should be initiated in Rajya Sabha in an uninterrupted manner to end the impasse. Hope the Modi government will agree to this, a source said.
The opposition bloc has been demanding a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House on the months-long ethnic violence in Manipur. The government, however, has said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will make a statement in the House.
Opposition sources said a statement by the prime minister and a comprehensive discussion on Manipur are non-negotiable.
Opposition parties are also demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur under Rule 267, which allows for suspension of the listed business for the day to discuss an issue.
The government, however, has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion under Rule 176 of Rajya Sabha.
(With agency inputs)
