Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied on Thursday, 10 August, to the No Confidence Motion brought forth by the INDIA bloc against his government. The motion was defeated as the opposition staged a walkout during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech.
Although the Prime Minister delivered a speech lasting over 2 hours, he did not mention Manipur even after speaking for about 1 hour and 40 minutes. This omission led to Opposition leaders walking out. They had urged PM Modi to address the three-month-long violence in Manipur during the entire parliamentary session. It is worth noting that the opposition maintained that the no-confidence motion aimed to prompt the prime minister to address the ongoing violence in Manipur within the parliament.
As the opposition walked out, PM Modi seemed to realize the need to mention Manipur. He stated, “Had the opposition been interested in discussing Manipur, we could have had a detailed discussion separately.”
He reassured the nation, saying, “Efforts are underway by the Centre and the state government to bring the accused in Manipur to justice. I want to assure the people of our country that peace will be restored in Manipur in the near future.”
“Both the state and central governments are doing everything possible to ensure that the accused receive the strictest punishment. I want to reassure the people that peace will be reinstated in Manipur in the coming time. I want to convey to the people of Manipur, including the women and daughters of Manipur, that the country stands with you,” he continued.
However, within ten minutes, the speech transitioned into an attack on the Congress. PM Modi proceeded to explain how the Congress had launched attacks through the Air Force on innocent people in Mizoram in 1956. He further accused the Congress of never attempting to understand the sentiments of the Northeast and highlighted that he had visited the Northeast 50 times.
He continued to attack the Congress, questioning which government was in power in Manipur when actions were dictated by insurgent organizations. “Whose government was in Manipur when decisions aligned with the wishes of insurgent organizations? Whose government was in Manipur when Mahatma Gandhi’s picture was prohibited in government offices? Whose government was in Manipur when the decision to exclude the national anthem from schools was made? Their (Opposition) concern is selective. They cannot think beyond politics,” he said.
He further said, “Congress is the mother of all issues of Northeast. People of Northeast are not responsible for it; it is their (Congress’) politics.”