New Delhi: The people of the country “stand with Manipur” where “peace will be restored soon” through joint efforts of the Centre and the state government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday as he laid the ground for defeating the no-confidence motion brought against his government in Parliament.
The Opposition, which walked out of the House nearly 90-minutes into his speech, was at the receiving end of the PM’s broadside. As he tore into the Congress and the INDIA bloc, Modi virtually set the tone for the ruling BJP’s campaign for the 2024 general election.
“Many families (in Manipur) are facing difficulties. Many have lost their kin, and heinous crimes have been committed against women. The Centre and state are together trying to address the situation. I want to assure the people of the country that the state will see a new dawn,” Modi said in his two-hour-thirteen minute long response to the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition.
“I want to tell the people of Manipur, its women and daughters, that the country is with you, this House is with you. We will face this together and peace will again be restored there. I want to assure the people of Manipur that no stone will be left unturned to ensure that Manipur is on the path of development again.”
At the start of the Monsoon session on 20 July, Modi had briefly spoken about Manipur to the media outside Parliament wherein he had expressed his “sorrow and anger”.
On Thursday, Modi suggested that the Centre feels that the Manipur High Court’s 29 April, which suggested that the Meiteis be granted tribal status, was the immediate trigger for the unrest. “A court verdict came, we know what is happening in the courts,” he said.
Union home minister Amit Shah, too, had argued a day earlier that the high court order added “fuel to fire” in Manipur.
The no-confidence motion was defeated by voice vote, soon after opposition MPs including Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi walked out of the Lok Sabha.
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Less on Manipur, more about opposition
The PM did not offer much details on the ongoing unrest in Manipur, saying Shah’s “detailed statement” had taken care of that aspect. His speech was largely focused on the Opposition, the newly-formed INDIA bloc, and, more particularly, the Congress.
More than once, the PM exuded confidence that his return to office in 2024 was a foregone conclusion due to the “poverty of imagination” displayed by the Opposition bloc.
“I thank the Opposition for bringing the motion, which appears to be ordained by God. Back in 2018, when a similar motion was brought, I had said that these no-confidence motions do not subject us, but them to floor tests. The latest motion is in a way auspicious for us and a clear indication that we will return to power in 2024 breaking all past records,” he said.
Modi taunted the Opposition ranks, saying that they should come better prepared “when you bring another no-confidence motion in 2028”, adding that in “my third term”, India will emerge as the world’s third-largest economy.
“They (Opposition) is a guarantee of taking India back by two centuries, while Modi guarantees that in my third term I will ensure India’s entry into the bracket of top three countries,” he said, reeling off his government’s “achievements” in poverty alleviation, sanitation, water supply, defence production among others.
Dubbing the INDIA bloc as ‘ghamandiya’ (arrogant), Modi ridiculed it as the opposition’s attempt to pass off a decades-old rickety car as a swanky new electric vehicle.
“On this occasion, I would like to express my sympathy with my friends in the Opposition. You held the last rites of the UPA some days ago in Bengaluru. I would have expressed sympathy with you then itself. I am not responsible for the delay as just as you were holding the last rites, you were busy applying plaster on ruins (of UPA),” Modi said, adding that the Opposition was wrong in believing that changing the name of the alliance would enhance its acceptability.
Pointing out the Congress’ “receding footprint” across states, Modi alleged the party “derives pleasure out of defaming India”.
“The Congress party and its friends, throughout history, never trusted the country’s abilities and strengths. They have more trust in Pakistan and the claims of our enemies. They immediately latch on to anti-India narratives produced by global agencies…,” he claimed.
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Modi took a swipe at the Congress MP saying all attempts to launch a “failed product” have failed so far. “As a result, they harbour hatred in their minds for the people, but publicise it as ‘Mohabbat ki Dukkan’. Their shop is actually of loot, lies, scams, appeasement, dynasty,” he alleged while trying to play the Opposition attacks to his advantage.
“The country cannot help them when they follow the approach of burying heads in the sand. Over the last three days, they used as many bad words against me as they could. Maybe it helped them lighten their mind. In any case, they keep abusing me. Their favourite slogan for me is ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi’. But I make a tonic out of their abuses,” the prime minister said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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