NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of national security vis-à-vis Pakistan, the standoff with China and the Taliban capturing new territory in Afghanistan at a parliamentary panel meeting on Wednesday and demanded a discussion, sources said. However, he left the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence minutes before it ended, the sources said, as Chairman and BJP leader Jual Oram denied any discussion on these topics since they were not on the pre-decided agenda.
‘Review of Cantonment Boards’ was the topic of the meeting. According to the sources, Gandhi suggested the panel should focus on more relevant and important security issues, such as the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh and the terror threats posed by Pakistan.
Gandhi also discussed the Taliban capturing new territories in Afghanistan, China’s growing influence in Sri Lanka, and the implications on India regarding these developments as they were more serious and required urgent discussion. In response to Gandhi’s request, Oram replied that the agenda for the meeting deals with the working of Cantonment Boards, so the discussion should stick to that only. According to the sources, whenever a member wishes to discuss a different subject, he should follow procedural steps and give 14 days prior notice to the Chair.
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Gandhi and no other Congress members were present at the previous meeting when the committee’s agenda for the year was decided, otherwise their concerns would have been discussed, the chairman said. According to sources, Gandhi left the 90-minute meeting just before it ended after putting forward his case. Several members of the panel brought up questions related to the cantonment board’s functioning to the officials from the Defense Ministry and armed forces who appeared before the committee, sources said.
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