No Opposition protest today as mark of respect to CDS Rawat, announces Kharge
A Congress leader said that the party brass directed that no protests, which usually lead to slogans and noisy disruptions, should be held on Thursday as the nation mourns the death of India’s CDS Gen Bipin Rawat.
NEW DELHI: Opposition parties announced they will not hold their protests on Thursday as a mark of respect to India’s chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other armed personnel who lost their lives in a tragic chopper crash on Wednesday.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who has been at the forefront of the protests over the suspension of 12 MPs from the Upper House, said “We’ve decided not to protest (against the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs) today in honour of CDS Bipin Rawat and the soldiers who died in the chopper crash and to pay tributes to them.”
Kharge said, “We’ll also attend the House when defence minister Rajnath Singh gives his statement.”
Defence minister Rajnath Singh addressed an unusually somber Lok Sabha as soon as the House proceedings started at 11am. Singh gave details about the horrific Mi-17 Coonoor chopper crash, told members that the tri-service inquiry under Air Marshal Manavendra Singh has already begun work and said Gen Rawat will be cremated with full military honours.
A Congress leader said that the party brass directed that no protests, which usually lead to slogans and noisy disruptions, should be held on Thursday as the nation mourns the loss of India’s first CDS Bipin Rawat.
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For the last two weeks, massive protests have rocked Parliament, especially the Rajya Sabha after 12 Opposition MPs were suspended for unruly incidents in the last session. the Opposition challenged the suspension on legal and technical grounds. On Wednesday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi termed the decision as “unprecedented” and “outrageous”.
The Congress has also announced that the party will not celebrate party president Sonia Gandhi’s birthday on Thursday. The decision was conveyed to state units of the party by general secretary in charge of the organisation KC Venugopal.
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