Congress, TMC demand discussion on Tawang issue, walk out of Lok Sabha

Congress Lok Sabha MPs, led by party leader Sonia Gandhi, and Trinamool Congress lawmakers on Wednesday walked out of the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (December 14), accusing the government of not allowing a discussion on the sensitive Chinese aggression at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. There was a similar walkout by the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, too.

As soon as the Lok Sabha Question Hour ended, Congress Leader of the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demanded that a discussion on the “Indo-China border situation be held”, saying late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed a discussion in the lower house on the India-China war in 1962. 

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“We have been demanding a discussion on the India-China border situation. In 1962, when the India-China war took place, Jawaharlal Nehru, in this House, had given 165 MPs a chance to speak, and a decision was taken on what to do only after that,” Chowdhury said. 

Birla’s response

Responding to the Congress leaders’ demand, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said a decision will be taken on it in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee. The Congress MPs sat through nearly the first two hours of the day’s session, with its members intermittently raising the demand for a discussion on Tawang. After Birla turned down Chowdhury’s request, the Congress staged a walkout in protest. Opposition MPs accused the government of not allowing a discussion on the India-China border issue. 

TMC member Sudip Bandyopadhyay said his party members were staging a walkout in protest against the “attitude” of the government. 

Stan Swamy case

Earlier, as soon as the House met for the day, members from the Congress and the DMK wanted to raise certain issues. One of the members displayed a printout with the words “Justice for Stan Swamy“. 

The Speaker told the protesting members that the Question Hour was important and it was for them. However, they sought to raise various issues. Later, members of the Congress, DMK, NCP and the NC among others walked out of the House during the Question Hour. Some of them were heard shouting “nahi chalega (this will not do)”. Some of them, however, returned to the House after some time. 

On Tuesday, a US-based forensic firm claimed that digital evidence used to arrest Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy in the Bhima-Koregaon case was “planted” on his computer’s hard drive. Swamy, 84, who was an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, died in July 2021, while waiting for interim bail on medical grounds. 

Ruckus in Rajya Sabha

In the Rajya Sabha, too, the Opposition criticised the government over the handling of the Chinese incursion. Harivansh Narayan Singh, Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, said there was no notice before the Chair, and a discussion on the issue could not be allowed. The Opposition MPs shouted slogans for some time before walking out during the Question Hour.

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Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition parties wanted a debate to get full information on the Chinese aggression and encroachment on Indian territory, and that they stand by the Army and the country. Kharge continued to speak, but his mike was switched off. He said the country has a right to know what is happening at its borders. Harivansh observed that nothing on Tawang would go on record. 

Opposition hold meeting

Leaders of several opposition parties met in the Parliament House complex on Wednesday to evolve a joint strategy. The leaders of the Congress, Shiv Sena, CPI, CPI-M, NCP, RJD, NC, SP, DMK met in Kharge’s chamber, and decided to corner the government on the border issue. They also discussed important issues to be raised and formulated their joint future strategy in both houses of Parliament. 

This happened a day after massive protests by the Opposition rocked Parliament proceedings over the recent border clashes.