New Delhi [India], July 28 : Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Monday raised questions over the security lapse in the Pahalgam terror attack, urging the centre to take criticism in a positive spirit.
"If someone is criticising the government, they should take it in a very positive manner. We hope the government will not show any bias in this," Bhagat told ANI.
He said that the opposition intends to discuss issues related to national security, foreign policy and Pakistan's policy of harbouring and nurturing terrorism, and it was up to the government to let the discussion happen, moving beyond "allegations and counter-allegations".
"We hope that the government adopts a positive attitude. National security, security of citizens, foreign policy and Pakistan's policy of nurturing terrorism will be discussed in detail. The government must ensure that discussions occur beyond allegations and counter-allegations, while taking into account the opposition's perspective. It took the government 90 days to hold a discussion on this," the Congress MP said.
He stated that the opposition will raise the issue it has been raising from inception, regarding the removal of security and negligence in Pahalgam.
"On whose orders was the security removed? Who is responsible for the negligence in all this security? What steps has the government taken till now, who is responsible for this, and is it under investigation? The third thing is, on whose orders was the ceasefire done?" Bhagat said.
He also said that the opposition will demand an answer regarding claims made by US President Donald Trump regarding stopping the conflict between India and Pakistan in the name of trade.
"Trump has repeatedly said that he stopped this war because of trade. So, can we now compare terrorism with trade? There are very serious issues which are related to national security and national identity," Bhagat asserted.
Both houses of Parliament witnessed adjournments shortly after they convened on the sixth day of the monsoon session on Monday.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla adjourned the lower house proceedings till noon amid sloganeering by the opposition as multiple MPs held banners and protested at the well of the house.
Before adjourning the house till noon in Question Hour, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that opposition members were deliberately disturbing the proceedings of the house. He asked Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to instruct members of his party not to display posters, as that is not the purpose of sending MPs to Parliament.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was also adjourned until noon today amid a ruckus raised by the opposition after Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh declined notices demanding a discussion on the closure of government schools in Uttar Pradesh.
"The notice of Sanjay Singh has demanded a discussion over the violation of the right to education due to the large-scale merger and closure of government schools in Uttar Pradesh. Since the notices do not conform to the detailed directives imparted by the chair. The same are declined," Singh said before adjourning the upper house.
Moreover, Singh rejected 26 adjournment notices given by opposition members, including on SIR in Bihar and alleged discrimination against Bengalis in other states. Opposition members resorted to protests, and the house was adjourned till 12 noon.
Earlier, he cited rules and stated that the submission of physical notices has been discontinued, and members should submit them only through the Digital Sansad portal.
Ahead of the 16-hour-long discussion on Operation Sindoor in Lok Sabha, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to the opposition not to speak in the language of Pakistan.
A fiery debate is expected to unfold in Parliament between top leaders from the ruling alliance and the opposition.
Lok Sabha's listing for the Business for Monday "Special Discussion on India's strong, successful and decisive 'Operation Sindoor' in response to terrorist attack in Pahalgam".
Twenty-six civilians were killed in the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, after which India retaliated through precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Even since the monsoon session began on July 21, the Parliament has witnessed constant adjourments amid uproar over the demands of the opposition to push for a debate on issues of public importance, including the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack and the ongoing SIR exercise being carried out by the Election Commission in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
The opposition has also demanded that PM Modi respond to the repeated claims made by US President Donald Trump of initiating a "ceasefire" between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.