'Opposition is bringing Ram Mandir to deviate from discussion': Jitan Ram Manjhi

New Delhi [India], August 11 : NDA MPs on Tuesday stepped up their attack on the opposition, accusing it of deliberately disrupting Parliament proceedings and avoiding a discussion on issues that the government has agreed to take up in the House.
Union Minister and Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel said the opposition was not ready to listen and was instead focused on creating disruptions in Parliament.
"Opposition is not ready to listen. They are avoiding discussion. Their only aim is to disrupt Parliament proceedings," Patel said while speaking to reporters during a protest by NDA MPs in the Parliament complex.
Patel said the government had repeatedly maintained that it was ready for a discussion in the House. She pointed to the government's decision to let Union Home Minister Amit Shah respond to the issues being raised by the Opposition, and questioned why the opposition was still not allowing proceedings to function.
"This is such an important session of Parliament, and the government has been saying that it is ready for discussion," Patel said. She added that the government had also brought a new law to deal with paper leaks, while accusing the Opposition of having no intention of holding a meaningful debate.
Her remarks came as NDA MPs staged a protest against the Opposition, carrying placards and raising slogans over the continued disruptions in Parliament. The ruling alliance MPs accused the Opposition of avoiding a discussion despite the government's stated willingness to respond.
Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also targeted the Opposition, alleging that it was attempting to divert attention from the main discussion by raising the issue of the Ram Mandir.
"Opposition is bringing Ram Mandir to deviate from the discussion. They don't look at themselves," Manjhi said.
He further alleged that the Opposition had no clear agenda and was only interested in creating instability in the country. "They have no agenda. They only want to create instability with the help of antisocial elements," Manjhi said.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi also accused the Opposition of deliberately avoiding a meaningful discussion in the House. He said the Opposition's objective was not to engage in a debate but to create "anarchy" in Parliament. Trivedi said that now that the Home Minister was ready to respond, Rahul Gandhi should come to the House and listen to the government's response. He also asked the Congress leader to go to Ranchi, referring to the controversy surrounding the alleged police action against students in Jharkhand.
BJP MP Brij Lal questioned Rahul Gandhi's position on the alleged incidents in Jharkhand and Punjab. He asked why Gandhi had sought Amit Shah's resignation over one issue but was not raising similar questions about Jharkhand or Punjab.
"Rahul Gandhi was asking for Amit Shah's resignation but not Hemant Soren's. Why?" Brij Lal said. He questioned why Rahul Gandhi was not speaking on the situation in Jharkhand and Punjab, asking the Congress leader to explain his position on the two issues.
BJP MP Vivek Thakur also targeted Rahul Gandhi over the alleged police action against students in Jharkhand. He questioned whether the Leader of Opposition was willing to hear the concerns of the students.
"Rahul Gandhi will have to speak on the police brutality against students in Jharkhand," Thakur said. He further questioned, "Can't Rahul hear students of Jharkhand?", asking why the Congress leader was not addressing the issue in Parliament.
The latest statements came amid a continuing face-off between the government and Opposition over the functioning of Parliament. NDA MPs have accused the Opposition of repeatedly disrupting proceedings, while Opposition parties have been demanding answers from the government on issues including the alleged police action against protesting students in Jharkhand.