New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Lok Sabha Thursday that efforts were underway to bring peace to trouble-torn Manipur, as he replied to the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition as a “last resort” to elicit a response from him.
Over three months into the violent ethnic clashes in the northeast state, Modi noted that grievous crimes had been committed against its women, and that the Centre and the state government would do everything to bring the culprits to book.
“I want to assure the citizens of the country that efforts undertaken in the state will soon bring it peace. I want to tell the people of Manipur, its mothers, sisters and daughters, that the country and its Parliament are with them,” Modi said, hoping there would be no further politics over the state.
Modi’s assurance came over an hour into his speech during which he attacked the Opposition, particularly the Congress, its politics and its new alliance INDIA, which he termed “arrogant”.
He mocked the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition, stating such a motion has always proved lucky in the past.
“After their no-confidence motion in 2018, we got more seats in next year’s general elections. The people showed they had no confidence in our opponents instead,” Modi said in his response. “It looks like the BJP and the NDA will break all records in 2024,” he said, daring them to bring another one in 2028.
The Opposition walked out in the middle of Modi’s broadside, before he could get around to speaking about Manipur.
The government then won the no-confidence motion in a voice vote.
On the Opposition’s walkout, Congress MP Shahsi Tharoor said: “Well, the Opposition has listened for one hour forty five minutes,,, frankly, to a lot of insults, and a lot of abuse. I think the Opposition showed more patience than many others might have done.”
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: “I had to walk out because even today the PM remained ‘Nirav’ on the issue of Manipur. What was the use of watching a new ‘Nirav Modi’? His colleagues have already said what he repeated. PM Modi says the whole country is with him, then why is he afraid of the Congress?”
Attack on Opposition
The Prime Minister repeatedly attacked the Opposition saying they were not interested in discussing Bills aimed at the wellbeing of the people, but were “only interested in politicking”. “For them, the party is above the people, they are more interested in the hunger for power than the hunger of the people,” Modi said, accusing the Opposition of trying to break the people’s trust when the country was surrounded by “potential and opportunities”.
He said it was a boon to be cursed by the Opposition. “Everytime they curse, only good happens to their targets. I am an example of that,” Modi said to much table thumping from the treasury benches.
He also took a dig at the Congress for not putting Leader of Opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s name in the list of speakers for the no-confidence debate. “It was Amit Shah’s magnanimity that he promised some time to Adhir Ramjan Chowdhury. What was Congress’s compulsion in sidelining him? Was there a call from Kolkata,” the Prime Minister said, in a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the cat that the Congress was a rival of Mamata’s Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
He accused the Congress of being so full of arrogance that it had lost sight of the ground beneath. Modi then rattled off the names of the various states where the Congress had lost power decades ago, urging his colleagues to cheer — “Congress, No Confidence”.
The Prime Minister continued his tirade against the main Opposition party, accusing it of driving the country to the verge of bankruptcy in 1991. “After 2014, India made it to the top five economies of the world. Reform, perform and transform have led the country to this place,” he said, adding the Congress took pride in “amplifying false propaganda of any global survey that tarnished the country”.
The Congress and its friends have a history of doubting India’s capabilities and prowess, Modi continued, saying the party “trusted Pakistan” while the neighbour sent terrorists into India’s territory.
He said the Congress had borrowed everything – from its poll symbol to ideas – from others, including the surname “Gandhi”.
He mocked the new Opposition alliance INDIA, saying a new name would not hide past misdeeds.
“This is not INDIA but a ‘Ghamandia’ alliance. Everyone wants to be a groom in this baraat,” he said.
‘NDA’s achievements’
Modi launched into detailing a progress report of his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, adding that the 21st Century was an opportunity to make every dream come true for India.
“WHO analysed Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and said it had saved the lives of three lakh people,” he said, adding the Niti Ayog has recently reported that 13.5 crore people had overcome poverty in the last five years. “The IMF has said India has nearly ended extreme poverty,” he said.
“We have given a scam-free government to the youth of India, we have given them courage and opportunity to fly high in the sky,” he told Lok Sabha.
“They ruined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). They tried to incite the workers and spread negativity. But now HAL is flourishing. It has recorded its highest-ever revenue. HAL has now become the pride of the country,” Modi replied to the no-confidence motion debate in Lok Sabha.
The Prime Minister spoke about the Opposition “spreading misgivings about Life Insurance Corporation, but the insurance firm has today touched new heights”, he said.
He also had a tip for those interested in the stock market – “Invest in government companies and your money will go.”
Why the no-confidence motion
The motion, which has been fiercely debated in the Lok Sabha since 8 August, was a tool used by the Opposition as a “last resort” to draw the government into a thorough discussion on the ongoing violence in Manipur.
Though it posed no threat to the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the no-trust notice ensured that the Prime Minister replied in the House, something he had not done so far.
Over the Opposition’s charge that Narendra Modi had adopted a “maun vrat” on Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in his speech Wednesday said the PM had called him at 4 am and again at 6.30 two hours later when reports of violence surfaced in the northeast state.
Admitting there had been excessive violence in the state – 152 people killed so far, he told the House – Shah censured the Opposition’s “shameful” attempt to do politics over it.
Shah told the House he had been working hard to bring peace to the state, and has been constantly monitoring the situation since early May.
In an over two-hour speech – his longest in Parliament till date – Shah also ruled out any possibility of sacking Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh since he was “cooperating”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened the debate from the Opposition’s end Wednesday and charged the government with dividing Manipur into two.
He also berated the government for not sending the Indian Army to Manipur, which, he believed, could “restore peace in one single day”.
On the first day of the debate Tuesday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi had referred to Modi’s silence as “maun vrat” and asked him three questions – 1. Why did he not visit Manipur to date? 2. Why did it take almost 80 days to finally speak on Manipur and when he did speak, why was it for just 30 seconds? 3. Why has the PM not sacked the Manipur CM so far.
The northeastern state has seen widespread ethnic clashes since 3 May between valley-based majority Meiteis and poorer, hill-based Kukis over the Meiteis’ demand for Scheduled Tribe status which reserves economic benefits for weaker sections.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court said it would monitor all cases of violence, particularly those against women, committed during the three months of sectarian clashes.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said it would appoint a retired senior police official to oversee all cases probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The top court has also created a committee of three retired women judges to look into the humanitarian issues, like relief and rehabilitation, emerging from the violence.
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