Political parties in India are set to lead a slew of protests on Monday amid outrage over a viral video from Manipur and other crimes against women. While the BJP will hold an agitation over atrocities committed recently in Rajasthan, West Bengal and other Opposition-ruled states, the newly named INDIA alliance has demanded discussion about the situation in the northeast.
A video of the two women being paraded naked by members of a different community surfaced last week, triggering a nationwide outrage. More than 160 people have been killed and others injured over the past three months as ethnic violence gripped the northeastern state. Opposition leaders have been clamouring for a discussion on the matter and sought a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter.
Meanwhile the BJP-led NDA has lashed out at Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress as another incident of two tribal women being stripped naked, tortured and beaten up came to light in West Bengal. The party will raise the issue of atrocities on women and Dalits in West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan through a protest before the Gandhi statue on the Parliament premises.
According to reports quoting sources, the BJP protest in front of the Parliament will also be attended by Central ministers. The development comes in the wake of state level agitations that have taken place over the past few days.
Earlier, on July 20, MPs of BJP Bengal staged a sit-in in front of the Gandhi statue regarding the atrocities against women in Bengal. A day later, the Rajasthan BJP staged a protest in front of the Gandhi statue against the recent killings in Jodhpur as well as the continuous atrocities against women.
The Manipur crisis has dominated proceedings as the Monsoon Session of Parliament began late last week. No substantial business has been conducted thus far and both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day amid clamour over the Manipur issue on Friday.
Opposition MPs have rejected the government’s proposal to have a short-duration discussion. The government has, in principle, agreed to discuss the matter in Lok Sabha under Rule 193 and in Rajya Sabha under Rule 176.
Henceforth, floor leaders of the newly formed Opposition alliance the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) will meet at the office of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament on July 24 to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 24 Jul 2023, 04:07 AM IST