Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday convened a high-level meeting with senior Cabinet colleagues at Parliament House to review the unfolding political storm as the Monsoon Session commenced with fierce Opposition protests.
Those present at the meeting included Union Ministers Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, and Arjun Ram Meghwal.
According to sources, the deliberations centred on the Opposition’s demand that the Prime Minister address Parliament on Operation Sindoor, a major military operation conducted earlier this year, and other matters including the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Prime Minister was also reportedly updated on discussions in the Business Advisory Committee and the disruptions in the Lok Sabha, which was forced to adjourn twice during the day.
Before entering Parliament, Modi described the Monsoon Session as a moment of triumph. “This monsoon session is like a 'Vijay Utsav' celebration of victory. The whole world has seen the strength of India's military power. The target set by the Indian Army in Operation Sindoor was achieved 100 per cent,” he said.
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“Under Operation Sindoor, the houses of the masters of terrorists were razed to the ground within 22 minutes. The world has been very attracted to this new form of Made in India military power. These days, whenever I meet people of the world, the world's attraction towards the Made in India weapons being made by India is increasing," he added.
As the Lok Sabha sat for the first day of the session, Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc reiterated their eight-point agenda, raising slogans in the House and submitting adjournment notices, none of which were accepted.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who now holds the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, accused the government of stifling Opposition voices. “The Defence Minister is allowed to speak in the House, but Opposition members, including me, who is the LoP, are not allowed to speak... This is a new approach... The convention states that if people from the government side can speak, then we should also be given space to speak,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also weighed in, referencing remarks by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju that the government was open to a discussion on Operation Sindoor. “If they (the government) are ready for discussion, they should let the Leader of the Opposition speak. He stood up to speak, so he should be allowed to speak,” she asserted.
The House was adjourned twice, first until noon and then until 2 pm, as the Opposition refused to yield.
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