New Delhi: The Congress on Monday said the violence in Manipur was a “big and international” issue and there was a need to discuss it in Parliament with all seriousness.
Reiterating their demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Parliament over the Manipur situation, Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil and Gaurav Gogoi said in a press conference that the matter should not be treated like an ordinary law-and-order issue.
They alleged the prime minister was “scared” of a discussion on it in Parliament.
“The prime minister can change chief ministers of election-bound states. But for some reason, he continues to back the decisions of the Manipur chief minister who has admitted that hundreds of instances of sexual assault have been reported in the state.
“We want a substantive and exhaustive debate on Manipur in Parliament. The prime minister is running away from scrutiny by members of opposition parties and is scared of a debate on Manipur in Parliament,” Gogoi told reporters.
He said the prime minister can can address the US Congress, but he cannot speak inside the Indian parliament. “Prime Minister Modi can hug French President Macron, but he refuses to hug the victims of Manipur violence,” Gogoi alleged.
He accused the BJP of “shielding the prime minister from speaking inside Parliament and treating the Manipur crisis as an ordinary law-and-order issue.”
Since the Monsoon session began on July 20, little work has been done in Parliament. Opposition members have seized on the viral video of two women stripped and paraded by a mob from another community in the violence-hit state to corner the government.
Outside Parliament, Kharge alleged that the government wants to throttle the voice of the opposition, who have the right to air their views.
“We want a discussion as per rules but the government is not ready. The Manipur issue is a big and international one and there is a need to discuss it in Parliament. The prime minister should tell what action the government has taken,” the Congress president said.
At the press conference, Gogoi said if one looks at the actions of BJP members in Parliament, “it is clear that the prime minister is afraid of a debate inside Parliament.
“It is clear that the prime minister has no intention of raising the issue of Manipur inside Parliament and is scared of a discussion.”
Accusing the prime minister of being stone-hearted, Gogoi said, “He has simply shown his back to the people of Manipur. The role of the prime minister is to show leadership and concern, but he thinks he is above the Parliament of India.”
The women of Manipur are asking why Modi is silent, he said, adding the Congress wants a substantive and exhaustive debate on the Manipur violence issue.
Gohil asked whether the opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Manipur situation in Parliament was wrong and said that the matter was being discussed in the European Parliament and other places.
“Why are you denying a discussion under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha? Is anything more important than Manipur violence which is discussed in European Parliament and other places, but not in the Indian Parliament?
“We want to raise the issue of what happened in Manipur, point out the wrongs and failures of the government and make suggestions on what can be done in Manipur to improve the situation,” Gohil said.
He said the matter was serious and should be discussed under rule 267 and not under rule 176 as desired by the government.
The Congress leader pointed out that they want to raise the Manipur issue and talk about the pain of the people there under rule 267 and then hold voting on a resolution if required.
“It was only after the Supreme Court reprimanded the government, that the prime minister spoke on Manipur and that too for a few seconds. Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that Modi ji should follow ‘Raj dharma’, but he has not done so,” Gohil said.
Referring to the suspension of the AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh for the remainder of the Monsoon session, he said, “This is murder of democracy.”
“Linking any incident across the country with the Manipur situation is an insult to Manipur and the country. Linking crimes in Manipur with other states is an insult to the people of these states. It is like adding insult to inury,” Gohil said.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, in a tweet, said, “Parliament is dysfunctional because the prime minister is scared of directly facing questions. He refuses to enter the House of which he is the elected leader.”
“Manipur is in the middle of a civil war, but the prime minister is hiding behind his subordinates. The entire nation is seething because he has allowed this crisis to spiral out of control and his silence is beyond shameful at a time of such death and destruction,” he tweeted.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “In a desperate bid to manage headlines, the home minister today said the Modi government is ready for a discussion on Manipur in Parliament.”
“He is not doing anybody any special favour. The perfectly democratic and legitimate demand of the parties comprising INDIA (alliance) is for a statement by the prime minister on the Manipur situation first followed by a discussion. The home minister is totally silent on this. What is the hesitation in getting the prime minister to speak inside Parliament first,” he asked.
In another tweet, Ramesh said, “Parliament did not function for the third day because of the continued refusal of the Modi government to accept the demand of INDIA parties for a comprehensive statement by the prime minister in the House on the post-May 3 situation in Manipur to be followed by a discussion. INDIA parties are only reflecting the sentiments of the people of Manipur and indeed of our country.”
“Why is the PM running away from speaking inside the House,” he asked.
Noting that INDIA coalition stands with Manipur, he said, “If PM Modi has an ounce of Constitutional propriety left, he will make an elaborate statement on the violence in Manipur since May 3. No amount of whataboutery and false equivalence shall work in the case of Manipur violence.”
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