PM now dodges Parl, 'ignores civil war' with whataboutery

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: In the wake of the violence in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and prominent BJP leaders have countered by highlighting alleged crimes against women in Congress-governed Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Critics however voiced concern about PM Modi's use of implied "whataboutery" while condemning the parading of two naked Kuki women in the northeast.

In the course of his denouncement, he also drew attention to other crimes in other states, sparking questions about the appropriateness of such a comparison in these tough times.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor accused the BJP of "misusing" the tragic suffering of women in the "Manipur horror story" to promote "whataboutery" by citing attacks on women in Oppositionruled states.

"The prime minister saw it fit to speak to the media outside Parliament when Parliament is in session, that is not acceptable. The prime minister is accountable to Parliament, that is the whole logic of a parliamentary democracy," he said.

The Congress said the violence in Manipur was a "big and international" issue and there was a need to discuss it in Parliament with all seriousness.

Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "PM Modi can address the US Congress, but he cannot speak inside our Parliament...can hug French President Macron, but he refuses to hug the victims of Manipur violence."

He accused the BJP of "shielding the PM from speaking inside Parliament and treating the Manipur crisis as an ordinary lawand-order issue."

Congress says the PM was "scared" of a discussion on it in Parliament. "I don't know why he is shying away from it," said former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik.

The PM spoke outside Parliament after the Chief Justice of India "warned" that the top court will take action if nothing happens on the ground, Malik said.

WHY ISN'T PM GIVING BJP CM A JAB AS VAJPAYEE DID IN 2002?

According to Ramachandra Guha, historian of modern India and biographer of Gandhi, the possible removal of Manipur CM Biren Singh at this juncture would imply an implicit acknowledgment of mishandling the crisis by him and his party, the BJP, as stated in a media report.

Next in line would be Amit Shah...

Additionally, such a move might trigger calls for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resignation if the BJP appoints a new Chief Minister.

PM cannot even ask CM to practise rajdharma?

Minister of Manipur would inevitably raise uncomfortable questions about the BJP's past actions, particularly regarding their failure to remove the Gujarat Chief Minister following the 2002 riots.

It is a well-known fact that then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had expressed a desire to replace Narendra Modi due to concerns over his "rajdharma" or duty as a ruler. However, his intentions were thwarted by senior Cabinet members, including Arun Jaitley and L.K. Advani, who persuaded him against taking such an action.