Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge brought up the Maharashtra caste violence that had broken out on Monday in Bhima-Koregaon near Pune. One person had died in the clashes.&nbsp;

Kharge added that Prime Minister Modi would have to speak on the issue. He is a &quot;mauni baba on such issues,&quot; Kharge said.&nbsp;

&quot;Who instigated and interfered in this event?&quot; Kharge asked in the Lok Sabha.&nbsp;

Kharge answered his question himself. &quot;Samaaj mein division karne ke liye, kattar Hindutvavaadi, jo wahan RSS ke log hain...iske peecha unka haath hai. Unhone ye kaam karwaya hai,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Kharge also asked for a Supreme Court judge to be appointed to look into the matter.&nbsp;

Live updates: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-updates-maharastra-tense-after-pune-violence-28382">Maharashtra bandh today; Dalit protesters block roads, occupy railway tracks, stop metros</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/maharashtra-tense-after-pune-violence-28374" target="_blank">Maharashtra on edge after Bhima-Koregaon violence, protests</a>

Kharge was replied to by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.

&quot;Congress divide and rule ki policy use kar rahe hain. Aur sabka saath, sabka vikaas karke Narendra Modi ji desh ko saath le rahe hain,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;Aag ko bujhaane ke bajaaye, bhadkaane ka kaam Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi aur Congress party kar rahi hai. Ise desh bardasht nahin karega,&quot; Kumar added.&nbsp;

Bhima-Koregaon is where the last of the three Anglo-Maratha wars was fought on January 1, 1818.&nbsp;

The English, who had beaten the Peshwas in the war, had had a large number of Dalit soldiers in their army.&nbsp;

It was BR Ambedkar who had first referred to the war, and the beating of the Peshwa Brahmins, as an example of caste assertion by the Dalits.&nbsp;

The Dalits have ever since commemorated the anniversary of what they see as their &quot;victory&quot; in the last of the Anglo-Maratha wars.&nbsp;

The commemoration of the anniversary this year was reportedly opposed by Hindu groups.&nbsp;

The violence had broken out thereafter.&nbsp;

Mallikarjun Kharge also asked for a Supreme Court judge to be appointed to look into the matter

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge brought up the Maharashtra caste violence that had broken out on Monday in Bhima-Koregaon near Pune. One person had died in the clashes. Kharge added that Prime Minister Modi would have to speak on the issue. He is a "mauni baba on such issues," Kharge said. "Who instigated and interfered in this event?" Kharge asked in the Lok Sabha. Kharge answered his question himself. "Samaaj mein division karne ke liye, kattar Hindutvavaadi, jo wahan RSS ke log hain...iske peecha unka haath hai. Unhone ye kaam karwaya hai," he said. Kharge also asked for a Supreme Court judge to be appointed to look into the matter. Live updates: Maharashtra bandh today; Dalit protesters block roads, occupy railway tracks, stop metros Also read: Maharashtra on edge after Bhima-Koregaon violence, protests Kharge was replied to by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar. "Congress divide and rule ki policy use kar rahe hain. Aur sabka saath, sabka vikaas karke Narendra Modi ji desh ko saath le rahe hain," he said. "Aag ko bujhaane ke bajaaye, bhadkaane ka kaam Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi aur Congress party kar rahi hai. Ise desh bardasht nahin karega," Kumar added. Bhima-Koregaon is where the last of the three Anglo-Maratha wars was fought on January 1, 1818. The English, who had beaten the Peshwas in the war, had had a large number of Dalit soldiers in their army. It was BR Ambedkar who had first referred to the war, and the beating of the Peshwa Brahmins, as an example of caste assertion by the Dalits. The Dalits have ever since commemorated the anniversary of what they see as their "victory" in the last of the Anglo-Maratha wars. The commemoration of the anniversary this year was reportedly opposed by Hindu groups. The violence had broken out thereafter.

As Maharashtra comes to standstill, Congress demands statement from PM on Bhima-Koregaon violence

The Congress today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of violating the Constitution and the dignity of his office by not acting against those behind &quot;conspiracy with Pakistan&quot;, a charge he made against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat poll campaign.

It said Modi should at least clarify his remark which he allegedly used to &quot;win&quot; the Gujarat election, saying had it been Atal Behari Vajpayee as prime minister, he could have apologised 10 times.

The party also alleged that Modi was trying to break the country and blemish the image of his predecessor. It earlier demanded an apology from the prime minister.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>If you had proof, you should have lodged an FIR against former prime minister Manmohan Singh and arrested him. You are tarnishing his image and questioning his nationalism&#39;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=If you had proof, you should have lodged an FIR against former prime minister Manmohan Singh and arrested him. You are tarnishing his image and questioning his nationalism'" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

The Congress earlier created an uproar in both the Houses of Parliament and disrupted proceedings. While the day&#39;s work in the Rajya Sabha was washed out, its members in the Lok Sabha staged a walkout and boycotted the lower house post- lunch.

&quot;The prime minister is trying to break the country and blemish the image of good peple,&quot; senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters outside Parliament.

He said if the prime minister had information about a &quot;secret meeting&quot; between senior Congress leaders and the Pakistan envoy and its ex- foreign minister which was &quot;anti- national&quot;, then why did he not use the Intelligence Bureau and other agencies at his disposal.

&quot;If the prime minister had proof, why did he not take the services of intelligence agencies if there was something anti-national. He has thereby violated the oath of secrecy he has taken...If it was not in the nation&#39;s interest and was anti-national, then you have violated the Constitution and the &#39;maryada&#39; (dignity) of office,&quot; he alleged.

The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said opposition parties have demanded that the prime minister clarifies the serious allegation he made during the Gujarat election about a &quot;secret&quot; meeting between the Pakistan envoy and an ex-foreign minister and Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari and an ex-Indian Army chief.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-claims-pakistan-trying-to-influence-gujarat-elections-26391" target="_blank">Modi claims Pakistan trying to influence Gujarat elections</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/its-a-cock-and-bull-story-former-pakistan-minister-on-pm-modis-colluding-claims-26660" target="_blank">Kasuri rejects PM Modi&#39;s claim of Pakistan meddling in Gujarat elections</a>

&quot;When the country?s prime minister publicly accuses Manmohan Singh of conspiring with Pakistan then it is a very serious allegation and he should clarify.

&quot;If he has a problem in seeking an apology, then the prime minister should say that to win the Gujarat election he threw a stunt, a &quot;gola&quot; (ball). It is acceptable to us,&quot; he said.

Azad said had Vajpayee been there (as prime minister), &quot;he would have apologised 10 times. It depends on who is the prime minister&quot;.

&quot;If the prime minister is taking his words back, we will accept that too. Then he need not apologise. He should only say that he said it to win the Gujarat election,&quot; he said.

Azad said Modi should state in Parliament that the BJP was losing in Gujarat and it had no other option but to &quot;concoct&quot; the story of &quot;conspiracy with Pakistan&quot;, seek public sympathy and portray Congress leaders as anti-national.

&quot;Let the prime minister say and admit that his job is done and now the BJP has won the election, hence I take back my words. We will accept that. The one who has levelled allegations, should explain. If there is truth in his allegations, the people concerned be punished. We are ready for it,&quot; he said.

&quot;It is the culture of the BJP to abuse, call people anti-national, beat them, fire bullets at them. This has become an order of the day,&quot; he alleged.

&quot;There is only one way in a democracy and that is Parliament. The prime minister and the former prime minister, who is facing the allegation, both are members of Parliament,&quot; he said, adding that Modi should clarify in Parliament.&nbsp;

The conspiracy charge had been made against former prime minister Manmohan Singh

The Congress today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of violating the Constitution and the dignity of his office by not acting against those behind "conspiracy with Pakistan", a charge he made against his predecessor Manmohan Singh during the Gujarat poll campaign. It said Modi should at least clarify his remark which he allegedly used to "win" the Gujarat election, saying had it been Atal Behari Vajpayee as prime minister, he could have apologised 10 times. The party also alleged that Modi was trying to break the country and blemish the image of his predecessor. It earlier demanded an apology from the prime minister. If you had proof, you should have lodged an FIR against former prime minister Manmohan Singh and arrested him. You are tarnishing his image and questioning his nationalism' × The Congress earlier created an uproar in both the Houses of Parliament and disrupted proceedings. While the day's work in the Rajya Sabha was washed out, its members in the Lok Sabha staged a walkout and boycotted the lower house post- lunch. "The prime minister is trying to break the country and blemish the image of good peple," senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters outside Parliament. He said if the prime minister had information about a "secret meeting" between senior Congress leaders and the Pakistan envoy and its ex- foreign minister which was "anti- national", then why did he not use the Intelligence Bureau and other agencies at his disposal. "If the prime minister had proof, why did he not take the services of intelligence agencies if there was something anti-national. He has thereby violated the oath of secrecy he has taken...If it was not in the nation's interest and was anti-national, then you have violated the Constitution and the 'maryada' (dignity) of office," he alleged. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said opposition parties have demanded that the prime minister clarifies the serious allegation he made during the Gujarat election about a "secret" meeting between the Pakistan envoy and an ex-foreign minister and Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari and an ex-Indian Army chief. Also read: Modi claims Pakistan trying to influence Gujarat elections Also read: Kasuri rejects PM Modi's claim of Pakistan meddling in Gujarat elections "When the country?s prime minister publicly accuses Manmohan Singh of conspiring with Pakistan then it is a very serious allegation and he should clarify. "If he has a problem in seeking an apology, then the prime minister should say that to win the Gujarat election he threw a stunt, a "gola" (ball). It is acceptable to us," he said. Azad said had Vajpayee been there (as prime minister), "he would have apologised 10 times. It depends on who is the prime minister". "If the prime minister is taking his words back, we will accept that too. Then he need not apologise. He should only say that he said it to win the Gujarat election," he said. Azad said Modi should state in Parliament that the BJP was losing in Gujarat and it had no other option but to "concoct" the story of "conspiracy with Pakistan", seek public sympathy and portray Congress leaders as anti-national. "Let the prime minister say and admit that his job is done and now the BJP has won the election, hence I take back my words. We will accept that. The one who has levelled allegations, should explain. If there is truth in his allegations, the people concerned be punished. We are ready for it," he said. "It is the culture of the BJP to abuse, call people anti-national, beat them, fire bullets at them. This has become an order of the day," he alleged. "There is only one way in a democracy and that is Parliament. The prime minister and the former prime minister, who is facing the allegation, both are members of Parliament," he said, adding that Modi should clarify in Parliament.

PM violated Constitution by not acting against those behind 'conspiracy with Pak': Congress

The Congress has accused the government of delaying the winter session of Parliament &ldquo;without ascribing any justification for doing so&rdquo; and approached President Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to direct the Centre to summon the Houses at the earliest.

The Congress Parliamentary Party, in its November 21, 2017, letter to the President, claimed that not convening the Parliament session on time would set an &ldquo;unhealthy precedent&rdquo;. The party accused the NDA government of delaying the session &ldquo;without ascribing any justification for doing so&ldquo;.

It claimed that the apparent reason informally mentioned by the government for &ldquo;delaying&rdquo; the session is the Gujarat Assembly election. The Congress argued that the session was convened &ldquo;as per the established practice and convention&rdquo; and not the poll schedule.

The letter was signed by the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress&rsquo; leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party&rsquo;s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, its chief whip in the Lower House Jyotiraditya Scindia and whip Deependra Hooda.

They also reiterated the party&rsquo;s allegation that the government was avoiding facing Parliament and answering questions on its &ldquo;flawed and unpopular&rdquo; policies an &ldquo;rampant corruption&rdquo;.

&ldquo;We seek to draw your attention to the inordinate delay by the government in convening the Winter Session of Parliament without ascribing any justification for doing so,&rdquo; they said in the letter.

The leaders said the 2012 Assembly polls in the State were held on December 13 and December 17. Parliament session, however, was duly convened on November 22 &ldquo;as per practice&rdquo; and adjourned on December 20 of that year.

&ldquo;It is also pertinent to mention, that Winter Session is preceded by the longest inter-session break after the Monsoon Session vis-?is all other inter-session breaks. Thus, not convening of Winter Session on time will set an unhealthy precedent,&rdquo; they added.

Claiming the government was avoiding facing questions on the floor of the Houses, the leaders said it was a &ldquo;matter of serious concern&rdquo; that the members of Parliament were allegedly being denied timely opportunity to discharge their duties.

&ldquo;It also undermines the institution of Parliament itself and calls for honorable president&rsquo;s urgent intervention as the custodian of the Constitution,&rdquo; they said.

The Congress has accused the government of delaying the winter session of Parliament ?without ascribing any justification for doing so? and approached President Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to direct the Centre to summon the Houses at the earliest

The Congress has accused the government of delaying the winter session of Parliament “without ascribing any justification for doing so” and approached President Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to direct the Centre to summon the Houses at the earliest. The Congress Parliamentary Party, in its November 21, 2017, letter to the President, claimed that not convening the Parliament session on time would set an “unhealthy precedent”. The party accused the NDA government of delaying the session “without ascribing any justification for doing so“. It claimed that the apparent reason informally mentioned by the government for “delaying” the session is the Gujarat Assembly election. The Congress argued that the session was convened “as per the established practice and convention” and not the poll schedule. The letter was signed by the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, its chief whip in the Lower House Jyotiraditya Scindia and whip Deependra Hooda. They also reiterated the party’s allegation that the government was avoiding facing Parliament and answering questions on its “flawed and unpopular” policies an “rampant corruption”. “We seek to draw your attention to the inordinate delay by the government in convening the Winter Session of Parliament without ascribing any justification for doing so,” they said in the letter. The leaders said the 2012 Assembly polls in the State were held on December 13 and December 17. Parliament session, however, was duly convened on November 22 “as per practice” and adjourned on December 20 of that year. “It is also pertinent to mention, that Winter Session is preceded by the longest inter-session break after the Monsoon Session vis-?is all other inter-session breaks. Thus, not convening of Winter Session on time will set an unhealthy precedent,” they added. Claiming the government was avoiding facing questions on the floor of the Houses, the leaders said it was a “matter of serious concern” that the members of Parliament were allegedly being denied timely opportunity to discharge their duties. “It also undermines the institution of Parliament itself and calls for honorable president’s urgent intervention as the custodian of the Constitution,” they said.

Congress urges President to direct government to convene Parliament