Parliament Monsoon Session: ‘Travesty to pass bills when no-confidence motion pending’, Congress cites rules

Congress slams govt: Congress on Thursday (July 27), while citing the rules, called the passage of Bills in Lok Sabha unfortunate and travesty when the no-confidence motion is pending in the lower House of the Parliament.

The no-confidence motion by the Congress against the Narendra Modi government was admitted yesterday. The Opposition has been demanding PM Modi to make a statement in the Parliament over the contentious Manipur issue. However, after the government said that it is ready to discuss the issue, the Opposition brought in a no-confidence motion to force the Prime Minister to speak on the matter.

The proceedings of both Houses were disrupted even today as Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments. The Lok Sabha managed to pass two Bills today amid din and sloganeering by the Opposition.

“It is unfortunate that bill after bill is being passed in the Lok Sabha in the din,” Congress MP Manish Tewari tweeted.

Citing the rules, the excerpt of which he shared in his post, the MP urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to start the discussion on the No-confidence.

“I request Speaker @ombirlakota to start the discussion on the No confidence motion without let or demur. It is a travesty to pass bills when the No confidence is still pending,” Tewari tweeted.

Jairam Ramesh reiterates demand

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that there is absolute clarity in the Opposition bloc’s – I.N.D.I.A – stand in the Parliament that the discussion on the motion be taken up at the earliest.

“There is absolute clarity in the stand of INDIA parties in Parliament. 1. We want the no-confidence motion moved by the parties in the Lok Sabha in the immediate context of Manipur, which has been accepted by the Speaker, to be taken up at the earliest. According to Rules and Conventions, no legislative business can be transacted till the no-confidence motion is debated,” Jairam tweeted.

He added that the Opposition wants a statement by the PM in the Upper House on Manipur “immediately”.

“2. We want a statement by the PM in the Rajya Sabha on Manipur immediately followed thereafter by a discussion under Rule 267, which means that the issue being raised under this Rule takes precedence over all other issues,” he tweeted.

“This is the clear and consistent demand of INDIA parties so that a collective sense of anguish at what has happened in Manipur gets expressed and a collective resolve to promote peace, harmony and reconciliation in the state gets reinforced,” the Congress Rajya Sabha MP added.

The opposition has also been demanding that Modi make a statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament before a debate on the matter can be taken up, a demand not accepted by the government.

The logjam has been prevailing in both Houses since the start of the Monsoon session on July 20.

Over 160 people have lost their lives and several hundreds have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3.

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