Lok Sabha adjourned for day amid Opposition protest over Manipur; Cinematograph Amendment Bill passed

PTI

New Delhi, July 31

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Monday following protests by the Opposition which has been demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on the Manipur issue.

When the House met at 2 pm, it passed the Cinematograph Amendment Bill, 2023, to curb film piracy. The Bill was already passed in the Rajya Sabha.

Earlier, when the House met at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla announced that a parliamentary delegation from Malawi is visiting India and they are watching the proceedings of the House. He welcomed the foreign delegation and wished them a pleasant stay in the country.

As he completed his speech, the Opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from the prime minister on Manipur violence.

Soon they came to the well of the House showing placards and raising slogans against the government. The speaker initially ignored their protests and continued the Question Hour, which was the scheduled business.

Two questions related to the education and finance ministries were taken up for discussion amid sloganeering and protests.

As the protests continued, the speaker appealed to the Opposition members to go back to their seats and take part in the proceedings. With the Opposition MPs ignoring his pleas, the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm after about 15 minutes of business.

The Manipur violence rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament ever since the Monsoon session began on July 20, with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Modi and a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the government was ready for a debate on the Manipur issue.

The Speaker had also said the opposition can’t decide who would reply to the debate on behalf of the government.

The Opposition subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi Government, apparently aiming to force Prime Minister Modi to speak on the Manipur violence in Parliament.

The monsoon session started a day after a video of two women being paraded naked by a mob on May 4 in a Manipur village went viral, triggering a nationwide outrage. The Manipur Police have arrested several accused who were seen in the video, officials said.

On July 27, the government decided to hand over the probe into the case of the naked parade of two women to the CBI and filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying the trial of the cases should be conducted outside the state. 

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