Raghav Chadha (Photo Credit: social media)
New Delhi:
AAP Senior Leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shri Raghav Chadha has reacted sharply to the suspension of fellow party MP & Senior Leader Shri Sanjay Singh for the entire monsoon session by the Rajya Sabha Chairman for questioning him on the Manipur issue. Addressing the media on Tuesday, MP Shri Raghav Chadha attacked the central government at the Center and said that it is unprecedented in Parliament where a Rajya Sabha MP was suspended for raising questions about a very important issue of the country. He said that the suspension of any MP for the entire session is only done under special circumstances. "This is done when that MP has committed a violent act inside the Parliament or has torn a resolution of the Parliament and thrown it towards the Chairman's chair or has hurt the dignity of the Parliament by any of his activities. But it is very unfortunate that our Rajya Sabha MP Shri Sanjay Singh has been suspended from the entire session just for going near the chair and asking questions.
" He said that the incident in Manipur is not just a state's issue but a matter related to national security. Therefore, there is a need for a detailed and special discussion on this issue in the Parliament, he added. He said that the violence taking place in Manipur has started affecting the neighbouring states as well. Today, an incident took place in Mizoram where people belonging to a particular community were attacked and asked to leave the state. "If this matter is not resolved soon, then it can become a threat to the entire North-East states," he remarked. He said that not only Article 355 and 356 of the Constitution have been violated in Manipur, but there was an attack on humanity too. "The government has proved to be a complete failure in maintaining peace and order. The law and order situation has gone beyond the control of the government.
Therefore, the central government should immediately dismiss the Biren Singh government of Manipur and impose the President's rule there," he said. The MP also took to Twitter over the issue. He wrote, "Today in the Parliament, I took a stand against the suspension of my colleague MP Shri Sanjay Singh, by raising a pertinent point of order. Citing rules 255 and 256 of the General Rules of Procedure of the Rajya Sabha, I requested a division of votes to address the matter of his suspension transparently. The numbers at the time of seeking division were strongly stacked against the treasury benches, but unfortunately the demand for division of votes was declined." Sharing his demand for discussion on Manipur, he wrote, "Parliament functions on the basis of rules of procedure and past precedents.
I quoted an important precedent today in the Rajya Sabha while demanding a discussion on the burning issue of #Manipur. On August 17, 2012, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha received multiple notices from MPs requesting a discussion on attacks on migrants from northeast India in different states. He promptly suspended the question hour and initiated the discussion on the attacks under rule 267. Given the current situation in Manipur, which is of much greater magnitude, it should be allowed for discussion, following the precedent set in 2012, and under the same rule 267."
