Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday mounted a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Manipur was burning while the PM was joking and laughing in the Lok Sabha while replying to the debate on the no-confidence motion against his government.
Addressing a press conference here, he said; ”Yesterday, the PM spoke in Parliament for about 2 hours 13 minutes. In the end, he spoke on Manipur for 2 minutes. Manipur has been burning for months, people are being killed, rapes are happening, but the PM was laughing, cracking jokes. It doesn’t behove him.”
He reiterated that ”Bharat Mata” has been murdered in Manipur by the BJP. ”The idea of India has been destroyed in Manipur,” he said, alleging that the PM wanted the Northeastern state to continue to burn rather than dousing the fire there.
The Congress leader said the Indian Army could bring the situation in Manipur under control in two days but the PM would not want it. The PM for some reason was not even willing to go to the state. ”Divide and rule is the policy of the BJP,” he added.
Rahul said, “When the PM becomes a PM, he ceases to be a politician. He becomes the representative of the voice of the country. Politics should be put aside and the PM should speak not as a petty politician but the PM should speak with the weight of the Indian people behind him. It is tragic to post Mr Narendra Modi, it is sad. The PM does not understand what he actually is.’’
The Congress leader said: ‘’the PM at least could go to Manipur, talk to communities and say I am your PM, let’s start talking but I don’t see any intention…The question is not whether PM Modi will become PM in 2024, the question is Manipur where children, people are being killed.’’
On the suspension or disqualification of members in Parliament, Rahul said he was not bothered by such actions since his objective was to stop what was happening in Manipur and other parts of the country. ”Whatever weapon is there in our hand, we will use that,” he said.