It is perfectly legitimate for the Opposition to press the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi into making a statement on the Manipur issue raging for almost three months in Parliament and it has opted for the last resort of moving a no-confidence motion in the Lower House. Having launched its most powerful weapon, the Opposition must now return to business as usual instead of stalling the Houses.
The unequivocal stand taken by the Opposition and the proactive approach of the Supreme Court will ensure that the government remains accountable to Parliament, the people and law on the issue. As a responsible Opposition, the INDIA bloc has sent a team of MPS to Manipur and made an appeal to the governments at the Centre and the state to make earnest efforts to ensure justice for the wronged. The discussion on the no-confidence motion will provide the Opposition a chance to give the people a glimpse of what went wrong in Manipur; there is no better place than Parliament to reconstruct the state of the Union so that the people can weigh in and in a democratic way.
It is unfortunate that there is no end to hate crimes and communal clashes in our country, the most recent one taking place in Haryana’s Nuh. Meanwhile, floods have devastated several regions in the country affecting the lives of lakhs. Price rise, too, has made the lives of crores miserable. The government cannot be let go of these issues in Parliament. Pieces of legislation that will impact basic governance need thorough discussion, but the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, has got the Lok Sabha’s clearance without the benefit of one. The Bill seeking to override the Supreme Court’s judgment on the control of the elected government in Delhi over its bureaucracy is next in line. The Opposition must use its avenues and options intelligently and ensure that its protests do not become a ruse for such important bills and issues to escape parliamentary oversight.
