Amit Shah writes to Opposition MPs on Parliament impasse, seeks cooperation to discuss Manipur

Home Minister Amit Shah has written to the leaders of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over the Parliament impasse, seeking cooperation to discuss the Manipur issue. In his letter to Opposition leaders of both houses, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Lok Sabha and Mallikarjun Kharge of Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah said that the government is ready for discussion on the Manipur issue for as long as they want.

“Today, I wrote to the opposition leaders of both houses, Shri @adhirrcinc Ji of Lok Sabha, and Shri @kharge Ji of Rajya Sabha, appealing to them for their invaluable cooperation in the discussion of the Manipur issue. The government is ready to discuss the issue of Manipur and seeks cooperation from all the parties, rising above party lines. I hope that all the parties will cooperate in resolving this important issue,” Amit Shah said in a tweet attaching a copy of the letter.

Amit Shah's letter to the Opposition leaders of both Houses came as proceedings of Parliament remain disrupted from day one of the Monsoon session with the opposition parties demanding a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur violence before a discussion.

The opposition has tried to corner the government on the Manipur violence after a video of a May 4 incident, showing two women stripped and paraded naked on a mob of men in Thoubal, appeared on social media, triggering uproar among the political circles and across the country.

Replying to a short debate on the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, the minister said the government has nothing to hide, and is ready to discuss the Manipur issue. "People who are shouting slogans are neither interested in cooperation nor in cooperatives, neither in Dalits nor in women welfare," Amit Shah said amid sloganeering by Opposition members.

"I want to reiterate that I have written letters to leaders of opposition in both Houses that we (government) are prepared for a discussion for as long as they want. The government is not afraid of anything. Those who want to debate the Manipur issue can debate. We have nothing to hide," Amit Shah said.

(With agency inputs)