At all-party meeting, Cong demands discussion on Manipur in Parliament

NEW DELHI: Asserting that it takes two hands to clap, the Congress on Wednesday said if the government wants Parliament to function, it should give space to opposition's issues, and demanded a discussion on Manipur during Parliament's Monsoon Session.

Congress's leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury made the remarks after participating in the all-party meeting ahead of the session starting Thursday.

''I had participated in the Business Advisory Committee meeting and raised all the issues that need to be discussed. At the all-party also, I raised the issues...our demand is that there is the issue of Manipur which must be discussed,'' Chowdhury told reporters as he left the all-party meeting after making his remarks as he had to attend another meeting.

''Two months have passed but the prime minister (Narendra Modi) is silent. I would like to request that he has been silent for over two months but he should at least make a statement in Parliament and allow us to hold a debate,'' he said.

''We want to bring an adjournment motion (for discussion) tomorrow as the situation in Manipur is deteriorating,'' Chowdhury said.

He said other issues such as floods in various parts of the country, the railway tragedy in Odisha's Balasore, unemployment, price rise and federal structure being ''attacked'' should also be discussed.

''I also demanded that India-China border issue and the imbalance of trade should also be debated upon,'' Chowdhury said.

''We said categorically that it takes two hands to clap. If the ruling party wants to run Parliament then it must give space to issues raised by the opposition. We have demanded that we be allowed to raise all issues,'' he said.

The government said at an all-party meeting on Wednesday that it is willing to discuss every issue permitted under the rules and approved by the Chair in Parliament's Monsoon Session beginning from July 20.