Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his address in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. (Screengrab)

Amid fresh cases of Covid-19 among MPs, reporters and parliamentary staff entering the Parliament complex will have to undergo mandatory antigen test on a daily basis, according to the latest protocol. Members of both Houses will require to undergo RT-PCR test at regular intervals on a voluntary basis, a senior Parliament official told news agency PTI. Journalists covering the Monsoon session from press galleries of both the Houses will also have the option to undergo the RT-PCR test which is valid for 72 hours.

Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha on the situation in Ladakh, two days after he made a similar statement in Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the government wants to assure 130 crore people of the country that it will not let India “bow down” its head. At the same time, he said, it does not want to bend anyone else’s head.

“Yudh ki shuruat toh hamari haath mein hoti hai, lekin uska ant nahin hota hai. Aur mujhe kai baar tajjub hota hai ki shanti ka yeh sandesh jis dharti se poore vishwa ko mila hai, us dharti ki shanti mein vighna daalne ke prayas kiye jaate hain (One can start a war but ending it is not in one’s hands. Many a time, I am surprised that attempts are made to disrupt peace in the very land which gave the world the message of peace),” he said.

Citing operational reasons for not giving detailed replies to questions from members, Singh, responding to a query from Congress leader and former Defence Minister AK Antony, said there will be no change in the patrolling pattern of Indian soldiers.

With all Opposition parties backing the government, the Congress, which had been demanding a full-fledged discussion on the issue, did not register any protest.

Singh also agreed to Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu’s suggestion that he consider meeting some prominent leaders in his chamber and brief them on the ground situation.