Opposition only wants “anarchy” – Nadda
Union Minister J.P. Nadda today said the Opposition only wants “anarchy” as the Congress and other Opposition parties created ruckus and staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during a statement by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the situation in West Asia.
However, Congress President and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought permission to speak. After being permitted by the Chair, he said the escalation in the West Asia conflict will affect the country’s economic stability and endanger the security and livelihood of Indian citizens working there.
“I request a short-duration discussion on emerging challenges for energy security and the fast-changing geopolitical situation in West Asia affecting India’s energy security,” Mr. Kharge said.
The Chairman told Mr. Kharge he would come back to him, and again asked Mr. Jaishankar to make the statement.
As the Minister started making the statement, MPs belonging to the Congress and other Opposition parties were on their feet and insisted that Mr. Kharge be allowed to complete his remarks, and also demanded a short discussion.
Later, the entire Opposition staged a walkout from the House while the Minister was making his statement. After Mr. Jaishankar’s statement, Leader of the House Mr. Nadda termed the Opposition’s behaviour as irresponsible and said they only want to create anarchy and hooliganism.
The senior BJP leader also said that the Opposition parties have no interest in the country’s development, and have been staging walkouts during ministers’ replies on various debates and discussions.
Making a statement in the Lower House on the situation in West Asia, Dr Jaishankar said the Indian government had issued a statement on the 20th of last month regarding the situation, expressing deep concerns and had urged all sides to exercise restraint. He said India continues to believe that dialogue and diplomacy should be pursued to de-escalate the tensions.
The Minister said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is continuously monitoring the emerging developments, and relevant ministries are coordinating to ensure effective responses. Dr Jaishankar said the conflict has continued to intensify, and the security situation in the West Asia region has deteriorated significantly. He said the conflict has spread to other countries, with mounting destruction and normal life and activities are affected.
The External Affairs Minister said that this ongoing conflict is of particular concern to India as it is a neighbouring region. He said, there are one crore Indians who live and work in the Gulf nations and few thousand Indians are in Iran for study or employment. Dr Jaishankar said the region is key to India’s energy security and includes many important suppliers of oil and gas.
The Minister said, MEA has set up a dedicated special control room to monitor the situation and respond to queries. He said, as of yesterday, almost 67 thousand Indian nationals have returned to the country. He made the statement amidst opposition uproar as they were demanding a discussion on this issue. Dr Jaishankar made a similar statement in the Rajya Sabha also.
Earlier the House also paid tributes to the four former members including Kumari Sushila Tririya, Devi Bux Singh, Purnmasi Ram and K.P. Unnikrishnan. The members of the House also observed silence for a while as a mark of respect to the departed soul. After paying tributes, the House was adjourned till 12:00 noon.
(updaed on 8th march 26)
