From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dismissed the issue of Manipur violence in just five minutes out of his a political reply of two hours an 13 minutes to a no-confidence motion by the Opposition as if he were seeking a sort of confidence vote and asserting that he would be the PM again in 2024. The motion was rejected by a voice vote.
He spoke on the Manipur turmoil, 12 minutes after the Opposition walkout, noting that Home Minister Amit Shah has explained in details on Manipur and assured the people of Manipur that the nation is with them as the Sun on peace will rise certainlyfor them, adding that “we will find solution to the challenge.” Modi scrupulously avoided mentioning the ongoing tragedy for the major part of his speech, even in his first 90 minutes of speech and only 10 minutes after the Opposition walked out. His reply was marked by singing paean for himself, his party and the government while attacking the opposition alliance INDIA in general and the Congress in particular and even encouraged slogans in the House.
Sonia Gandhi was in the House all through Modi’s reply while Rahul Gandhi turned up only at 6.30 PM when he was through more than half of his reply and just then the Opposition decided to stage a walkout, the second during the day as the first walkout was when Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was speaking on the no-confidence motion.
The House was ranted with the slogans of “Modi, Modi” repeatedly during the PM’s speech and countered by the opposition with the slogans of “INDIA, INDIA.” After the House rejected the no-cnfidence motion, Speaker Om Birla suspended Congress group leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from the House for his unruly conduct on a motion piloted by Parliamentary Affairs Miniser Pralhad Joshi, saying his case be sent to the privileges committee.
Modi regretted that the Opposition rejected Amit Shah’s appeal for a message of peace to the warring communities of Manipur. Speaker Om Birla didn’t correct him that he himself got a motion piloted for peace in Manipur. He explained how the violence flared up in the northeastern state from a Manipur High Court order for reservation to the Meithei community as the tribals.
He regretted the mentality of Rahul Gandhi in describing the Manipur violence as the death of “Ma Bharti” (mother India) and said the Congress can go to any extent for the sake of power and noted it was this psyche of the Congress that led to trifurcation of India on August 14.
Modi went on to describe three incidents, including an IAF bombing of the people of Mizoram on March 5, 1966 and the military attack on the Akal Takht, both during the period of Indira Gandhi who did not bother using the military on own people of India. The airstrike in Mizoram was never made public. The third incident was Nehru’s All India Radio broadcast during the war with China, leaving the people of Assam aghast on he telling them to live on their faith.
The Prime Minister was full of sarcasm at the Opposition starting with the remark that he was grateful to the opposition for giving him a chance to review what all has happened in India since he returned to power in 2019 and this no-confidence motion will definitely give the BJP and its alliance NDA break all record as it was brought despite the government having overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha.
He also had a dig at Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Congress group, for his party excluding him from speaking on the no-confidence until on Wednesday Home Minister Amit Shah offered time from the government, enabling him to speak on Thursday.
The PM castigated the Opposition for not joining hands in letting the country move forward. He regretted its attempts for ever to talk against the achievements of the country that his government succeeded, be it 3.5 lakh pulled out of the poverty in three years and reports of WHO saving lives of 4 lakh. Instead, the Opposition always remarked that “Modi teri kabra kab khudegi.” He said such remarks only proved to be a tonic for him.
He regretted the Congress always spreading negativism and not accepting the nation’s progress and cited how it claimed without success the death of HAL, the public sector firm making helicopters, and the Life Insurance of India. He said the Oppoition also laughed at digital India and make in India exercises by the government as they had no confidence in the people of India.
As regards the Congress-led opposition putting a new paint to call its alliance as INDIA, Modi said he saw in it the Congress doing the “antim sanskar” (last rites) of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). He asserted that new name to the coalition will not help since it has all those characters known for corruption.
He described the opposition coalition as a new shop of hatred, predicting a lock on their shop soon, warning that if came to power, it will back the country bankrupt and went on to explain how his government has made India the fifth richest country and plans to make it the third by 2028.
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