'Now, India says anyone but Modi'

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra claimed the country has lost confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his government's "inaction" on the Manipur crisis.

She further said the Manipur issue is "mired in silence" in the government's "whataboutery and false equivalences".

Participating in the debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Mahua Moitra said, “Everyone asks if not Modiji then who? After this inaction on Manipur, India will say, anyone but Modi.”

“We are here to ask questions in our ‘tum abhi chup raho republic’ – where the honourable PM (Narendra Modi) tells the governor ‘chup raho’, where we as elected MPs in this House are routinely told ‘chup raho’. This motion is to break omerta, this code of silence in Manipur, the most pressing issue of the day on which we are all supposed to ‘raho chup’,” she said.

Moitra asserted that this is not just a no-confidence in government motion, but is a “have confidence in INDIA motion”.

Make no mistake, this motion is not meant to succeed in this House but the larger motion of “have confidence in INDIA motion” will succeed when the people of India have their say soon, she said.

“Hon’ble Prime Minister, if you are listening I beg you on behalf of the people of Manipur, change the administration, allow all the parties to work together to mediate a truce otherwise even after your term ends, India will echo in one voice as to what went so terribly wrong in Manipur with such terrible consequences for our country,” she said.

When Oppn 'forced' PM to speak on Manipur, he chooses to dwell on...

• Taliban...Pakistan...Kashmir
• Congress failed in 'Garibi Hatao'
• Swachh Bharat lPublic sector banks lYoga lGandhi and Nehru surname
• Oppn new bloc I.N.D.I.A
• Culture of BJP government
• Mizoram 1966 incident lNITI Aayog report, WHO, IMF
• Mohabbat Ki Dukan and Loot Ka Bazaar
• Dynasty politics
• UPA governments
• MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
• UNICEF

& has too little time for NE state where...

• 6,500 FIRs are filed
• 4,000 houses destroyed
• 60,000 people displaced
• 150 people dead
• 300 places of worship destroyed
• Several women sexually assaulted and gang raped

Amid mounting pressure from the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally addressed the ongoing violence in Manipur during his speech in the Lok Sabha in response to the no-confidence motion against his government.

The address, which extended for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, allocated a mere 10 minutes to discuss the situation in the violence-affected state.

In these brief moments, Modi affirmed his government's commitment to establishing peace.

However, the majority of his extensive speech centered on criticising the Congress, previous UPA administrations, the opposition INDIA alliance, and the developmental initiatives undertaken in the North East over the nine-year period of his government.

Despite the Opposition moving the no-confidence motion to draw the prime minister's attention to the Manipur issue, his discourse largely sidestepped the matter.

Addressing the violence in Manipur, Modi expressed his distress, emphasizing the inadmissibility of crimes against women. He noted collaborative efforts between the central and state governments to ensure the perpetrators face appropriate consequences.

Throughout Modi's speech, the atmosphere was charged with dramatic protests from the opposition, culminating in their departure from the proceedings after approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, owing to the absence of significant Manipur discourse.

In the midst of this, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, was suspended on grounds of "misconduct."

Ultimately, the noconfidence motion was defeated through a voice vote due to the opposition's absence in the House.

Around 6.40 pm, as the opposition exited the session, Prime Minister Modi accused them of a lack of willingness to engage with his address.