Opposition’s demand for discussion on MHA in Rajya Sabha rejected

New Delhi: The Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the working of Amit Shah-led Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Rajya Sabha has been rejected, a decision that has not gone well with the I.N.D.I.A bloc that is planning to collectively raise it once again in Parliament.

Instead of MHA, the Rajya Sabha List of Business for Monday has indicated that a discussion on the working of the Ministry of Cooperation, which is also headed by Shah, would be taken up after Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan replies to the discussion on his ministry and the conclusion of the debate on the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The decision to “ignore” the demand for including MHA in the discussion will be “strongly” raised in Rajya Sabha on Monday, Opposition leaders said adding they are planning to once again write to Dhankhar, protesting against the decision and inclusion of a debate on the functioning of MHA.

On Thursday, 15 I.N.D.I.A. parties and BJD had jointly written to Dhankhar to include MHA as one of the four ministries whose functioning should be debated in the Upper House.

TMC Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said that the government has ignored the Opposition’s demand. “This is not what we expected. There were demands to take up discussions on the Ministry of Defence and MHA in the Business Advisory Committee. The government is running away from discussing Defence and Home Affairs,” he told DH.

Sources said the Opposition parties wanted to raise Manipur violence, terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir, delay in Census 2021, federal structure and alleged misuse of central agencies among others during the debate.

With Congress submitting a privilege notice against Home Minister Amit Shah on Wayanad landslides accusing him of misleading the House, the Opposition also wanted to raise the pitch on the government.

The Lok Sabha had chosen four ministries -- Health and Family Welfare, Education, Housing and Urban Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. At 6 PM on Monday, the guillotine would be called on all Demand for Grants.

While announcing that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as the third ministry to be discussed, Dhankhar on Thursday said he would discuss the demand and then take a decision. The first ministry to be discussed was Housing and Urban Development, with BJP initiating the debate.

The discussion on the Ministry of Agriculture followed and was initiated by Congress while the one on New and Renewable Energy was initiated by Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O'Brien on Monday and followed by the one on the Ministry of Cooperation by DMK floor leader Tiruchi Siva.

Prior to the joint letter by 16 parties, O'Brien had written to Dhankhar saying all parties were asked to list three preferences of ministries to be discussed and the Trinamool has indicated its first and only preference as the MHA in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, which finalises the business of the House.