17 Opposition parties form strategy to corner govt on India-China border issue as Speaker turns down adjournment motion plea

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 14

Leaders of 17 Opposition parties met in Parliament House complex on Wednesday and decided to evolve a joint strategy to corner the government on the India-China border issue.

The meeting was held after the Opposition MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the second consecutive day as their demand for a discussion on the clash near Tawang in Arunachal was not allowed.

Nehru example cited

Before deciding what to do, Nehru allowed 165 members to participate in a discussion on the 1962 India-China war. -- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in LS

The Opposition leaders—from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD, NCP, National Conference, DMK, Shiv Sena (Thackeray), CPI(M), CPI, JD(U), VCK, KCM, IUML, Kerala Congress, AIUDF, MDMK and RLD—met in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. The Trinamool Congress didn’t attend the meeting, but conveyed “it would go by whatever decision was taken”.

As the House proceedings commenced, Opposition MPs rose up in both Houses demanding a discussion on China issue. But neither Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla nor Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh conceded to the demand. Birla rejected an adjournment notice by the Congress saying the Business Advisory Committee would decide on it. Protesting Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed 165 members to participate in a discussion in the House on the 1962 India-China war and only after that he took the decision on what to do.

Speaking during the zero hour, Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari (one of the members to move the adjournment motion) too cited Nehru’s example. He said six sessions had been held since September 2020 when the House met for first time after the Chinese transgressions of April 2020, but not even once was a discussion organised on the border issue despite repeated requests by Opposition MPs.

Referring to the statement by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament on Tuesday, Tewari said, “There are crucial questions that need to be asked. Why are these clashes happening, first Galwan and now Yangtse? What do the Chinese want? Is the government aware of Chinese intentions? Have we lost any territory?”

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