Amit Shah throws down gauntlet over Manipur video, opposition retaliates

Amid escalating protests from Opposition parties over a distressing video showing two Manipur women being publicly humiliated, India‘s Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, declared readiness for dialogue while criticising the Opposition’s uncooperative stance.

The Opposition has been calling for a debate on this appalling event from Manipur since the onset of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session. The government has agreed to engage in the matter, yet stipulates that the discussion should not disrupt the entire day’s parliamentary proceedings and should be confined to a brief duration.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh previously confirmed in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, that the government is ready to discuss the sensitive issue. Amit Shah, addressing the Lok Sabha, pleaded with Opposition leaders to enable a debate to clarify the truth surrounding the Manipur incident.

Amid protests, Amit Shah proposes discussion on Manipur video controversy. Photo courtesy of Ministry of Defence (GODL-India)/Wikimedia Commons.

Nonetheless, Parliament adjourned three times due to the ongoing uproar over the Manipur matter. Amit Shah remarked that although MPs from both the ruling party and the Opposition displayed interest in the debate, the continued protests by the Opposition led to Speaker Om Birla adjourning the day’s proceedings.

As the Monsoon Session commenced, around 15 Opposition MPs proposed adjournment motions, requesting a discussion on the recent ethnic violence in Manipur, resulting in over 100 deaths. Although the government accepted the request for dialogue, a dispute arose over procedural technicalities. Opposition MPs insisted on utilizing Rule 267, which calls for the suspension of all house business to focus on a specific issue. On the contrary, the government proposed a short duration debate under Rule 176.

In response to the Opposition’s allegations of sexual assault in Manipur, the ruling BJP party advocated for discussing crimes against women across all Indian states, including Opposition-led Rajasthan and West Bengal. As the Monsoon Session continues, both government and Opposition seek a conducive platform to address the disturbing incident showcased in the Manipur video.