New Delhi: Opposition parties have agreed to the agenda of taking up a special discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on Monday in Lok Sabha and the next day in Rajya Sabha, brightening up the prospect of normalcy returning to Parliament after the virtual washout of first-week proceedings.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs S Jaishankar are expected to speak amid indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may use the much-anticipated debate to turn up the heat on the Opposition, which looks to corner the government over alleged intelligence failures and US President Donald Trump’s claims of mediating a “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday blamed the Opposition for the washout of the first week of the Monsoon session, accusing it of not allowing Parliament to function despite the government agreeing to its demand for a discussion on these issues right from the session’s start.
Asked about the Opposition’s demand that Parliament discuss the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, he said all issues cannot be taken up at once and the government will take a call on other matters gradually.
One has to follow the rules guiding discussion in Parliament, he said, when asked about the Opposition’s insistence.
With the electoral rolls revision exercise being seen in the government circles as the Election Commission carrying out its mandate, the possibility of a discussion on the contentious issue is slim, sources said.
The Opposition has alleged that the drive is aimed at helping the BJP-led alliance, which is in power in poll-bound Bihar as well.
The decision to start a special discussion on “Terrorist attack in Pahalgam and in response the Operation Sindoor carried out by the Indian armed forces” was agreed to at a meeting of leaders of different parties chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday, Rijiju said.
Special discussions, which have been held occasionally in the past on topics like the Constitution to mark the 75th year of its adoption, are not guided by any particular rule of the House.
From the treasury benches, speakers are likely to include its members who were part of the seven all-party delegations which had travelled to over 30 world capitals to convey India’s robust stand against terrorism and Pakistan’s role in abetting it.
Both Houses will each hold 16-hour discussion on the twin issues which have dominated public attention in India and drawn concerns from world capitals.
Terrorists linked to Pakistan had shot down 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in the popular hill station of Pahalgam, on April 22, and India retaliated by targeting terror sites in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor, leading to a four-day conflict between the two countries.
India said the decision to stop military action was agreed mutually between the two countries but the mediation claims of Trump, who broke on social media the news of a “ceasefire”, have given the Opposition a handle to target the government.
It has also raised the alleged intelligence lapses behind the terror attack and cited some reports of India losing a few of its fighter jets to question the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded Operation Sindoor as an unmitigated success, asserting that the armed forces achieved their 100 per cent objectives and ‘Made in India’ weapons proved their mettle during the conflict.
Asked if Modi will speak in Parliament during the discussion, another key demand of the Opposition, Rijiju said the government cannot decide the speakers of opposition parties, and vice versa.
He expressed hope that the Opposition will allow Parliament to function from next week, lamenting the waste of resources and efforts going into preparing answers for the questions to be asked by MPs during Question Hours, which did not take place in the first week due to protests.
