Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday hinted at a breakthrough amid the ongoing impasse in Parliament, saying he had a good conversation with Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. He said that the government made a request on a specific issue and other matters were also discussed.
"I had a productive conversation with Rahul Gandhi. We made a request regarding a specific matter and also discussed other issues. We desire continuous communication and coordinated action with the Congress and other opposition parties. We may be political opponents, but we are not enemies; therefore, we should work together in the national interest. However, the impression created outside is that they are determined not to let Parliament function at all, but who ultimately suffers from that?"
Regarding Opposition's demand for the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House, Rijiju said that the minister whose bill is introduced will remain present in the House. , "The Home Minister has introduced bills here and is present in Parliament, working from morning till evening; naturally, the minister whose bill is under consideration is the one who remains present in the House," he said.
Rijiju's comments came a day after his reported meeting with Rahul Gandhi, in which he sought his cooperation in ensuring the smooth functioning of Parliament during the remainder of the monsoon session. The two also discussed the possibility of reintroducing the delimitation and women's reservation bills, though the Congress leader reportedly made no promises.
During the nearly 50-minute meeting on Wednesday, it is learnt that Rahul Gandhi told Rijiju that Amit Shah's statement on Delhi Police action against students protesting over the NEET paper leak issue and discussion on the alleged theft of donations for the Ram temple in Ayodhya were mandatory conditions for the House to function.
The monsoon session is scheduled to end on August 13. On Thursday, the government dismissed media reports claiming that a three-day special session would be called from August 16 to 18 to discuss the women's reservation and delimitation bills, two key issues on its legislative agenda.