THE HINDU
Discussing the fate of people at the borders from the rooms of New Delhi
-Arman Behuria
W ithout letting the constitutional day fall only onto ceremonial oathtaking’s the members delved right
into debate as the executive board’s gavel opened the floor open for the 57th all India political party meet
ahead of parliament’s winter session. Deliberations took place upon the three most sensitive issues plaguing
the contemporaneous theatres of India’s Realpolitik, namely Manipur, Ladakh and Kashmir. The room was
filled with rancour and diatribe as both sides tried to score petty points. If Manipur is stained by bloodshed,
India’s national politics is stifled by the bad blood between the government and the Opposition.
PM Narendra Modi as the first speaker insinuated the idea of paternal sovereignty under the direct obligation
of article 355 of the Indian Constitution in a way to justify the hesitancy upon the inclusion of Ladakh to the
6th schedule. Which was later extrapolated by Hon’ble Minister External Affairs, S. Jaishankar while arguing
how Ladakh acts as a buffer against Chinese aggression and any regional autonomy might become fodder
for the Chinese to extend their malicious hands onto the regions of Ladakh. Whilst the discussions were
taking place about the poignant relation which New Delhi shares with Beijing and Islamabad, Rahul Gandhi
questioned the Prime Minister about India’s sovereign autonomy, by going retrospectively how New Delhi
agreed to the cease fire with Pakistan despite strategic conditions in the former’s (India’s) favour which later
on became a bitter-sweet memoir in India’s geostrategic interest as the chief of armed staff of Pakistan was
invited by Trump to White House.
After quoting how hindus and musalmaans used to coexist without communal bloodshed, Akhilesh Yadav
criticised the former double engine government (one in the state other in centre) as “double disaster
government”, and furthered the electoral and Autonomous District Council (ADCs) coupled with statehood
demands for the people of Ladakh. To which when Arjun Ram Meghwal raised question whether speaker
knew the difference between 6th schedule states and sovereign statehood the former decided to answer the
question via chits. The former even flagged concerns over the baseless application of the National Security
Act to detain Sonam Wangchuk on grounds of violence caused which were void of his direct involvement.
The NDA government lost traction when the Hon’ble Minister of textile went on to justify PM Narendra
Modi’s 2 year delayed visit to Manipur or as was echoed in today’s AIPPM, “Trying to lodge an FIR after
the body gone cold”, as a reason because of “his busy schedule”. Which later on during the press brief the
former reinstated quoting The region burned both before and after his visit, so was there any need of visiting
in the first place. To which the Correspondent Lok Sabha TV followed up by asking how does the busy
schedule of PM Narendra Modi finds time for the people of Gujarat but not for the people of Manipur.
Towards the waning of the day the committee went into it’s first Mod Caucus. Where whilst discussing upon
the issue of Kashmir the opposition questioned the NDA led government upon the unfettered wielding of
punitive measures under the AFSPA to which Sudhanshu Trivedi reinstated the confidence of the house by
mentioning how the same act has helped decrease terrorist activities to its all time low in the valley, and how
due process of law is followed by consulting civil societies, permission to fire only reside with the captain of
the anti-terror squadrons and women having liberty to vacate site of operation. Under which the government
was able to dismantle the opium nexus, And later on whilst answering the human rights violation accusation
the speaker assured the opposition about the No-Objection Certification for search and seizure followed by a
six months human rights review along with an zero tolerance approach towards terrorism and “ghar wapsi
scheme’’ where any terrorism exposed refractory youth shall no longer hold guns rather “kitabein and
kalams” (books and pens)
Lastly the Day 01 of the committee was adjourned after having due discussions amongst the members upon
the direction the committee to be taken for the upcoming day. Whereby the members came to a consensus
over discussing Manipur as the 2nd Mod topic on Day 02.