Government reaches out to opposition to break Rajya Sabha logjam

New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi on Thursday reached out to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition leaders to break the logjam in Rajya Sabha, which has witnessed repeated disruptions over the Manipur issue.

Leader of the Rajya Sabha Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi met Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, after opposition alliance INDIA skipped a meeting convened by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to ensure smooth functioning of the House.

During the meeting, leaders of the INDIA bloc suggested that a discussion on Manipur should be initiated in Rajya Sabha in an uninterrupted manner to end the impasse. Hope the Modi government will agree to this, a source said.

The opposition bloc has been demanding a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House on the months-long ethnic violence in Manipur. The government, however, has said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will make a statement in the House.

Opposition sources said a statement by the prime minister and a comprehensive discussion on Manipur are non-negotiable.

Opposition parties are also demanding a discussion on the situation in Manipur under Rule 267, which allows for suspension of the listed business for the day to discuss an issue.

The government, however, has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion under Rule 176 of Rajya Sabha.