PM's 133-minute speech mostly trashed Opposition front INDIA. Modi said 'Manipur' for the first time after an Opposition walkout.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi replying to the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. (Screengrab)
Even as he defeated the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was compelled to speak on violence-hit Manipur for the first time in Parliament on Thursday, 10 August.
In the longest-ever reply by a prime minister to a no-confidence motion, Narendra Modi spoke for 133 minutes.
Despite the long speech — filled with jibes at the Opposition — Modi spoke about violence in Manipur for just three minutes.
The three minutes also included a defense of the BJP-led government of Biren Singh in the state that has seen more than 150 deaths, rapes, arson, looting of arms, and continuing ethnic strife.
The no-confidence motion was moved by the outnumbered Opposition in an attempt to force the prime minister to break his silence on Manipur in Parliament. After three full days of speeches by several MPs, Narendra Modi delivered his reply in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The first time the prime minister uttered the word “Manipur” was 93 minutes into his speech — after the Opposition MPs had staged a walkout in protest.
The walkout by MPs of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) came after they had raised slogans for one-and-a-half hours asking Modi to talk about Manipur. Until then, Modi’s speech was centered around mocking the new 26-party Opposition front, and his jibes and jokes were cheered by MPs of the treasury benches.
When Modi finally spoke about Manipur, he expressed annoyance with the Opposition for not agreeing to a discussion exclusively on Manipur when Union Home Minister Amit Shah offered to make a statement in the House.
“Home Minister Amit Shah gave a detailed response of two hours on the situation in Manipur without politicising. He expressed the concerns of the government and the country. It was also aimed at educating the country. It was an honest attempt to chart out a path to resolve issues, but except for politicising, the Opposition doesn’t want to do anything,” Modi said about Shah’s speech on Wednesday.
It was after this that he addressed the actual violence in Manipur.
“Like Shah said, there was a court order in Manipur. We know what is happening in the courts. Following the verdict, violence began. Many families have suffered and lost their kin too. There have been serious crimes against women. These crimes are unpardonable,” the prime minister said.
“The Union government and state government together are making all efforts to ensure the strictest of punishment to the perpetrators. I want to assure all citizens of the country that the efforts we are making will ensure there is sunrise of peace in Manipur. Manipur will once again move forward with new confidence.
“To the people of Manipur, I want to say, to the women of Manipur I want to say that the country is with you, this House is with you. We will all together find a solution to this problem and establish peace once again. I assure the people of Manipur that the state will once again tread the path of development,” Modi added, before reverting to his attack on Opposition parties, primarily the Congress.
Prime Minister Modi returned to the topic of Manipur to accuse the previous Congress governments in the state for law and order and militancy issues.
“Whose government was in Manipur when national anthems weren’t allowed to be sung in schools? When books were burnt? When temples were forced to shut down by 5 pm and the army had to be deployed for protection? When bombs were being flung at temples? When IAS/IPS officers had to pay a portion of their salaries to militants?” Modi asked, with MPs and ministers in the treasury benches responding to each question in unison — “Congress”.
Modi defended the BJP government led by Biren Singh despite several demands for his ouster by the Opposition as well as Kuki tribes in the state.
“In the last six years, our government in Manipur is striving to bring development to the state,” Modi said.
Even as he reiterated Amit Shah’s mocking of Congress MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi on his “multiple launches” in politics, Modi kept his fire firmly focused on the Opposition front INDIA.
Taking swipes at Rahul Gandhi for recalling his experiences of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Modi revived his old “Naamdaar vs Kaamdaar” narrative that was used as his poll pitch ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election to take on what he called the “Dynasty politics” of the Congress.
“I express sympathies with my Opposition friends; they performed the last rites of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) in Bengaluru,” Modi said about the recently-held joint Opposition meeting in the city.
“People of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, UP, Gujarat, Bihar, Tripura, Odisha have been declaring no-confidence in the Congress for years. The Congress is so blinded by arrogance that it cannot see ground reality, people have deep no-confidence in it,” he added.
Sharpening his attack on the Congress, Modi said the party’s government at the Centre would trust the word of Pakistan over terror attacks and its misadventures on borders, but not the valour of the Indian armed forces. In Kashmir, it would not trust the common man in the region but separatists and others carrying Pakistan’s flag.
Modi also used the opportunity to express confidence that BJP-led NDA will return to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
He also attacked the Opposition for not allowing discussions to take place in Parliament on a number of Bills related to the country’s development.
“They have shown that ‘dal’ (party) is bigger than ‘desh’ (country) for them. You have betrayed people,” he said.
Modi said when the Opposition had brought a similar no-confidence motion in 2018, his government came to power for a second term with a bigger mandate in 2019.
The Opposition’s motion has proved auspicious for his government, he added.
Noting that people of the country have repeatedly shown their faith in his government, Modi expressed his thanks to them.
“It is the country’s confidence that when you bring another no-confidence motion in 2028, India will be the third-largest economy in the world,” he said, asserting that his dispensation has given scam-free governance.
(With PTI inputs)
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