New Delhi After a week-long impasse, both Houses of Parliament are set to function normally next week and discuss Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam terror attack. Opposition MPs create ruckus in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. (ANI)

At a meeting of floor leaders chaired by Lok Sabha, there was, however, no agreement between the two sides on the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Election Commission of India’s controversial Special Intensive Review (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar. According to officials, the government argued that it can’t reply on behalf of ECI, which is an independent, constitutional body.

The Opposition and the government, however, came to an agreement to resume proceedings next week, starting with the much-anticipated debate on Operation Sindoor. It was a key demand of the Opposition and the government too, was keen to discuss it on the floor of the House.

“Today, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), and it was reiterated that we are ready for a discussion on Operation Sindoor. It has been decided today that there will be a special discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on Monday,” parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said.

During the meeting, Congress’s deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi questioned the government managers why the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was not being allowed to speak. On the opening day of the monsoon session on Monday, the Congress had alleged that Gandhi couldn’t speak even as ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Rijiju, were allowed to speak.

According to officials, Speaker Om Birla pointed out several Congress and Opposition leaders had rushed to the Well of House and were sloganeering when Gandhi tried to speak.

“We didn’t raise the Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor issue in the House as we had demanded that PM Modi be in the House during that, but he is abroad and it’s not possible. We were demanding that the Bihar SIR be discussed in the House, but the government is unclear whether this issue will be discussed in the House or not,” said Gogoi.

“They are hiding behind technical reasons. They are giving the excuse that if the electoral process is underway and is being carried out by ECI, then who will respond to the questions? I would like to inform them that the Constitution provides solutions for everything. It depends only on the intentions of the government,” he added.

The 16-hour-long debate will start in Lok Sabha on Monday and in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Rijiju has already met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who will be the first Opposition speaker on the debate in the Rajya Sabha, to prepare grounds for the debate.

“…Before the monsoon session began, several opposition parties, including the Congress, had requested that Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack should be discussed in Parliament. The government said we are ready to discuss it… The Opposition has been creating a ruckus in Parliament from day one and protesting inside and outside Parliament and not allowing the House to function,” Rijiju said.

“In the first week of the monsoon session of Parliament, we have been able to pass only one bill… I urge all opposition parties not to disrupt the proceedings of Parliament,” he added.

Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said opposition parties will talk among themselves over the SIR issue and suggested that “we should also go and gherao the election commission.”

“ECI has a mandate to conduct elections as a constitutional body, but we can’t allow genuine citizens who are voters to be removed. Opposition parties are together and oppose this. The SIR issue has to be discussed in Parliament. You are trying to remove people from voters’ list, this is amounting to total interference and blatant cheating,” he said.

The first week of the monsoon session transacted limited business as the Opposition demanded an early debate on the Operation Sindoor and the SIR even as the government wanted to wait for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to return from his UK and Maldives tour. The government has told the Opposition that the PM, defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah will remain present during the debate.