Oppn likely to boycott RS Business Advisory Committee meeting to press for PM statement on Manipur

Opposition alliance INDIA is likely to boycott a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Rajya Sabha to be held on Thursday morning to protest against the prime minister not making a statement on Manipur violence in Parliament, a senior leader said. The Rajya Sabha BAC has 11 members including the Vice President as its ex-officio chairman. Three MPs from the 26-member INDIA are on the BAC committee – one each from Congress, RJD and TMC. Sources said the parties may send someone who is not a member as an “observer” to the meeting. However, it is not clear if such an “observer” will be allowed to attend the meeting. On July 20, several opposition leaders had walked out of a BAC meeting to protest against Modi not making a statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament and the Centre bringing a bill to replace an ordinance on the control of services in Delhi despite it being sub-judice. Leaders of the Congress and other opposition parties including the Left, TMC, DMK, RJD, NCP and AAP walked out of the meeting as their protest in writing was not lodged by the chairman. On Wednesday, the Congress moved a no-confidence motion against the government in Lok Sabha on behalf of the INDIA bloc to press Modi to speak on the months-long ethnic violence in Manipur in which over 160 people have been killed.