Oppn agreed to 2-day protest, discussion on 3rd day, but they did not: Arjun Ram Meghwal on Parliament disruptions (AHN interview)

New Delhi, Aug 14 (AHN) Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal has accused the Opposition of deliberately disrupting Parliament and repeatedly changing demands for discussion, saying that they wanted to tell lies and run away.

In an exclusive interview with AHN, Meghwal said the government had offered the Opposition several opportunities to hold discussions during the Monsoon Session, but the Opposition did not want the debate to proceed.

Here is the full interview:

AHN: The Opposition repeatedly disrupted proceedings during the Monsoon Session. What, according to you, was the reason behind the interruptions?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: See, before the start of the Monsoon Session, on the 19th, we had a meeting of all-party floor leaders and tried to take their points. Their biggest point was that the discussion on the NEET paper leak should be taken up first. Then, they said they would let the House run smoothly. They suggested they would not let it run for two days, and after two days, the discussion could take place on the third day.

So, on the third day, as you must have seen, it did not run. It continued like this till the fourth and fifth day. A major Bill also came up concerning paper leakers in different states, to take strict action against them, punish them, make the offence more stringent and increase the punishment. It was discussed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Then, as soon as it was discussed, they changed their stand on the issue they had said they wanted to discuss. They said, “No, we want to discuss the lathi-charge on students”. And the SP said they wanted to discuss the matter of Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation.

There was not a single point on which they consistently wanted a discussion. Then some other parties met and said that the matter concerning students should be discussed. When they started discussing the students’ issue, we went to them and met them. After that, the Speaker also tried inside the House. After that, the Home Minister also tried by giving a statement to the media, saying that he was ready for a discussion and was ready to sit in the House for a long time. He said, “Start the discussion at 3 o’clock. I am ready to give a reply at 3 o’clock.”

They were given all these options. But they did not want a discussion. There was a day when they wanted a discussion, but then they felt they did not have anything to say in the discussion... tell a lie and then run away. There is no responsibility. That is why they ran away from the discussion.

While we were offering a discussion, they were changing the topic.

AHN: But the Opposition is accusing the government and the treasury benches. What would you say?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: They wanted to tell a lie and run away. How is this possible? Is it not everyone’s responsibility? The responsibility of the treasury benches is bigger, but what about the Opposition? How will it work if there is a ruckus?

Without discussion, we passed the law. We did not want to do that. We wanted to discuss it and then pass it. But legislative business is also important. For example, there is an ordinance. There is a time limit in the Constitution. Before that, you have to consult Parliament. That is why it is important to do it.

There are some financial transactions. It is important to complete them. It is our constitutional duty. We did it. There were some very important Bills. We passed them and fulfilled our responsibility. They wanted to create a ruckus this time. They just wanted to create a ruckus. They did not want to discuss anything.

AHN: But Rahul Gandhi is also accusing the government over the functioning of Parliament. How do you respond to his allegations?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: They are lying. What is their habit? It has become their character. They did not give any notice. If they had given notice, they would have come to the discussion and taken part.

AHN: The Opposition says its members do not have the freedom to speak in Parliament. What would you say about that allegation?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: All of them are disrespectful. On one hand, they say we do not have the freedom to speak, and on the other hand, they speak disrespectfully. If the Opposition is saying that they do not have freedom, how can they speak? If you do not have freedom, how can you speak?

On one hand, they say that they are not even allowed to protest. So, how are they protesting disrespectfully? This means that they are lying. They themselves want to use disrespectful language. They themselves want to insult the Opposition. Because of this, the new MPs are also not happy.

AHN: Who do you believe is responsible for the discussions not taking place? Who is giving the direction behind this approach?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: It is a direct indication of Rahul Gandhi. There is no other indication. He himself did not want the debate to go on.

AHN: At the end of Parliament, when all the leaders were called, the entire INDIA bloc boycotted it. What would you say?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: When the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha called them, almost everyone went to him. This means that the leaders of the Lok Sabha have a different attitude. It is clear from this.

AHN: Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of an alleged attack on him. What is the BJP’s position on the matter?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: Mr Nadda clearly said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not in favour of such activities. 'I condemn it'. This is what he said. And he asked him to do some research. What was it? He raised this issue today. And Mr Nadda clearly said that the Bharatiya Janata Party does not support such activities.

AHN: Two Bills related to the judiciary and tribunals were passed under the Law and Justice Ministry. What reforms are these Bills expected to bring?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: Look, two Bills were passed by the Law and Justice Ministry concerning the Supreme Court. One was the Bill to increase the number of judges, and the other was the Bill to reform the tribunal. Both Bills that have been passed are related to reforms. By increasing the number of judges, the long-pending cases in the Supreme Court will be resolved soon. And in the tribunal, the members who are going to become the chairpersons of the NTC, their uniformity will be maintained and there will be speedy delivery. So, the involvement of people in properties will be maintained, and the size of the economy will increase.

AHN: The number of pending cases has increased in some places. Do you believe increasing the number of judges will help reduce the backlog?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: In some places, the number of cases has increased. If the number of judges increases, will there be a reduction? There will definitely be a reduction. By increasing the number of judges, the number of cases in the Supreme Court will decrease, and a dedicated Bench will be formed. So, the old cases in which a point of law is involved, and in which some points of the Constitution are involved, will be resolved.

AHN: There was also a discussion about delimitation. The Opposition has repeatedly said that the ruling party should be careful about delimitation. What is the government’s direction on the issue?

Arjun Ram Meghwal: The Opposition knows that 2026 is written in the Constitution and that delimitation will have to be done. It is written in the Constitution. They carry the Constitution book, but what is written in the Constitution? They do not read it.