Parliament to Debate Op Sindoor, Pahalgam Attack Next Week
This was the first Rajya Sabha BAC meeting since Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on Monday.
New Delhi: Parliament is likely to take up a 16 hour discussion each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor early next week.
At the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on July 21, the government agreed to a 16 hour debate in the Lok Sabha; a similar decision was made at the Rajya Sabha BAC on Wednesday, amid the Opposition’s demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on the issue. Subject to no disruptions, the Lok Sabha discussion will begin on July 28, with the Rajya Sabha following on July 29.
Since the Monsoon Session commenced on Monday, Opposition protests, especially over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls, have repeatedly disrupted proceedings in both Houses, allowing only limited business to proceed. The Opposition has also criticised the government for not prioritising debate on Operation Sindoor and the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
The government has made no commitment to the Opposition’s demand for a Prime Ministerial statement but noted that Modi will have returned from his four day foreign visit by next week. A senior BJP leader said the debate, on Operation Sindoor, India’s response to the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 civilian lives, and related Pakistan tensions, will command strong national and international attention. He added that it has not yet been decided whether the Prime Minister will speak.
Congress Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari, present at the BAC meeting, claimed, “We have demanded that Prime Minister Modi be present during the discussion, and we have been assured of that by the government.”
This was the first Rajya Sabha BAC meeting since Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on Monday. As ex officio Chairman of the Upper House, he had chaired two back to back committee meetings to finalise the agenda but postponed the second meeting, rescheduled for Tuesday, when Leader of the House J.P. Nadda and parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju were unavailable. Dhankhar resigned hours later to “prioritise health care.”
The BAC, chaired by each House’s presiding officer and including party representatives, determines the parliamentary agenda. The Opposition has also sought debates on other issues, including the Bihar SIR, but the government has offered no assurances on those demands.
