Gogoi moved the No confidence motion in Lok Sabha and began the debate while BJP MP Nishikanth Dubey was the first to oppose it.
Published Aug 08, 2023 | 1:56 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 08, 2023 | 1:56 PM
Gaurav Gogoi. (Facebook)
While acknowledging that the Opposition doesn’t have the numbers, Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said the Opposition was left with no choice but to take the route of a no-confidence motion to compel Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on violence-hit Manipur.
Initiating the debate on the motion in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi on Tuesday, 8 August, alleged that a government which talks about “one India has created two Manipurs — one living in hills and the other in the valley”.
In a fiery speech, Gogoi pointed to how the ruling party members were calm and quiet when he invoked the names of Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh but broke into a frenzy when he invoked the name of industrialist Gautam Adani.
The Opposition has been consistently questioning the link between Modi and Adani while talking about crony capitalism.
As the lower House took up the motion moved by Gogoi, there were heated exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wondered why Rahul Gandhi’s name as lead speaker was withdrawn at the last minute.
Gogoi’s response that should the remarks made by the prime minister in Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s chamber be revealed in the House evoked a sharp retort from Home Minister Shah, who said the member cannot make unsubstantiated claims about the prime minister.
Gogoi submitted his motion — “This House expresses want of confidence in the Council of Ministers” — before the House and then made his statement.
He said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties were forced to bring the no-confidence motion as this was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur.
“Manipur demands justice. Martin Luther King Jr had said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. If Manipur is burning, the whole of India is burning, if Manipur is divided, the country is divided. It was our demand that as the leader of the country, Prime Minister Modi should come to the House and speak about Manipur. However, he kept a maun vrat (vow of silence) that he would neither speak in the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha,” Gogoi said.
“Through the no-confidence motion we want to break his vow of silence,” he said.
Gogoi said he would like to ask the prime minister why had he not gone to Manipur when Rahul Gandhi had gone as had Shah and the minister of state for home (Nityanand Rai).
“Why did he (Modi) take about 80 days to speak on Manipur and just spoke for 30 seconds? Since that, there has been no peace appeal on Manipur from him. Ministers are saying they will speak, but as PM the power of his words cannot be matched by ministers,” Gogoi said.
The Congress MP said it is a matter of grave concern that a government which talks about “one India has created two Manipurs — one living in hills and the other in the valley”.
(With PTI inputs)
